Rare copy of Declaration of Independence on display in Bethlehem

BETHLEHEM, Pa. (WPVI) -- A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence is on display in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

It's on loan to the National Museum of Industrial History.

Historian Tom Lingenfelter of Doylestown owns two of only three known anastatic copies of the document.

The copying process, primarily done in the 1840s, used an acid-based solution and direct contact with the original document to create copies.

Lingenfelter says he found one of them at a flea market in Bucks County nearly 30 years ago. He bought it for $100, then he called Independence Hall.

"They said they hadn't heard of an anastatic copy, but said we have a copy. I said I'd like to see it. I took mine with me and we put them both on the table. I got a physical rush when I saw both of them lying there next to each other," said Lingenfelter.

The copy was created in 1845.

The document is on display as part of the museum's "Hot Off The Press" exhibit, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday.

------

Send a News Tip to Action News

Learn More About 6abc Apps