Exhibition Details

Durham County Main Library

300 N. Roxboro St.

September 8 – 20, 2026

visitor details

Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University

September 24, 2026 – January 3, 2027

visitor details & group reservations

Both guided and self-guided groups wishing to visit must submit a reservation inquiry online.

To schedule a social event that includes a tour or viewing, please submit an event inquiry, and add a tour request on the notes.

ADMISSION

Free and open to all

Encounter three rare historic prints of the Declaration of Independence—including an official full-sized 1823 Stone Declaration engraved by William J. Stone, alongside two historic broadside copies by Benjamin Owen Tyler (1818) and John Binns (1819)—at the Durham County Main Library and the Nasher Museum of Art. Presented as part of We the People, the free public exhibition invites reflection on the nation’s founding ideals and their continuing influence today.

For full visitor details and reservation links, please visit the Durham County Library and Nasher Museum websites.

Historic copies of the Declaration of Independence are on loan from the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection.

A framed engraved of the William J. Stone Declaration of Independence — **Engraved by William J. Stone (1798–1865). Printed by the U.S. State Department, Washington, D.C.,1823. Collection of David M. Rubenstein. Photo by Vincent Dilio.**

A framed print of the John Binns version of the Declaration of Independence — **Engraved by William J. Stone (1798–1865). Printed by the U.S. State Department, Washington, D.C.,1823. Collection of David M. Rubenstein. Photo by Vincent Dilio.**

This event is part of the
We the People: A Duke & Durham Initiative

Learn more about the initiative

The Declaration of Independence is organized in collaboration with Duke Arts and the Nasher Museum of Art and is part of We the People: A Duke & Durham Initiative that marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence through a series of public events examining the nation’s evolving identity. Three historic copies of the Declaration of Independence are on loan from the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection. Leadership support for We the People has been generously provided by David M. Rubenstein.