The Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and Constitution will be permanently installed in Hamilton County through a partnership with educational non-profit Foundation Forward. The Charters of Freedom will be installed at Federal Hill Commons in downtown Noblesville next month.
“We are excited to have life-sized replicas of the three documents instrumental to America’s founding and philosophy prominently displayed in downtown Noblesville – to honor our history and teach future generations,” said Noblesville Mayor John Ditslear. “Charters of Freedom will provide our community with another visually-striking, patriotic tribute in our downtown to complement the Hamilton County War Memorial on the square and military monuments at Riverside and Crownland cemeteries.”
The Founding Documents will be dedicated at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28 at Federal Hill Commons in Noblesville. The ceremony will be held prior to the free concert by Separate Ways, a Journey tribute band.
Hamilton County will be the 26th Charters of Freedom installation gifted by Foundation Forward to local communities across the country, and only the third to be illuminated. Foundation Forward was created by Vance and Mary Jo Patterson of Morganton, N.C. in 2013 following a visit to the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
“Seeing something our founding fathers had actually penned, and then their signatures – Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Rutledge and the others – I got goose bumps. And, when I moved over and saw the first page of The Constitution and the words, ‘We The People,’ I actually got a lump in my throat,” Vance recalled.
The Pattersons now work to share the emotional experience of seeing the Charters of Freedom with others. Foundation Forward’s mission is to install the nation’s founding documents in easily accessible local locations across the country.
Legacy Pavers, which will be installed around the Charters of Freedom, are available for purchase in honor of loved ones, active duty military or veterans, first responders, families or organizations. The settings provide a magnificent, permanent centerpiece in communities to remember the country’s history. One hundred percent of these funds will be used to defray costs in Hamilton County so Foundation Forward can continue to reach more communities.
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About Foundation Forward, Inc.
Foundation Forward, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit which receives no government funding. For more information, visit chartersoffreedom.com or call (828) 522-1400.