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Koda Parsons, 10, visiting with his family from Australia, looks at an original July 4, 1776 Dunlap Broadside printing of the United States Declaration of Independence on display as part of the \u201cDeclarations: America & Texas Independence\u201d exhibition at the Hall of State in Fair Park in Dallas, Wednesday, June 17, 2026.<\/p>\n
Smiley N. Pool\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Just around the corner from the FIFA Fan Fest<\/a>, behind Dallas\u2019 beloved Big Tex and across from the Cotton Bowl Stadium, a rare piece of American history sits in a secured case on display in Fair Park.\u00a0<\/p>\n To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S., and provide World Cup visitors a lesson on the country\u2019s history, the Dallas Historical Society is featuring a broadside copy of the Declaration of Independence.\u00a0<\/p>\n Other historical artifacts on display include Thomas Jefferson\u2019s original draft of the declaration, journals from the creation of the Texas Declaration of Independence and the only surviving copy of the Juneteenth handbill announcing emancipation in Texas.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The Dallas Historical Society<\/a> is a local nonprofit housed inside the Hall of State at Fair Park, working to collect, preserve and exhibit the history of Dallas and the Lone Star State.<\/p>\n \nWhere is the Declaration of Independence copy in Dallas?\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The exhibition<\/a>, titled \u201cDeclarations: America and Texas,\u201d remains on display until July 17 at the Hall of State, and entry is free and open to the public.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kaitlyn Price, curator of collections at the Dallas Historical Society, said the exhibit\u2019s goal aims to connect the United States\u2019 role as an independent republic with Texas\u2019 journey through the same process.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cHistorians see those paralleled a lot, but I feel like it may not be something that\u2019s as widely known, especially for a lot of our potential international visitors,\u201d Price said. \u201cIt\u2019s a nice little exposure to some of Texas\u2019 unique history.\u201d<\/p>\n The Hall of State is located at 3939 Grand Ave., and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.<\/p>\n Related: Fair Park\u2019s natural history museum will open on Sundays during FIFA Fan Fest<\/a><\/p>\n The only known surviving original copy of General Order No. 3, the historic Juneteenth handbill announcing emancipation in Texas, is seen in a display case as part of the \u201cDeclarations: America & Texas Independence\u201d exhibition at the Hall of State in Fair Park in Dallas, Wednesday, June 17, 2026.<\/p>\n Smiley N. Pool\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n Why is there a copy of the Declaration of Independence in Dallas?<\/p>\n Hours after the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, Philadelphia printer John Dunlap made 200 copies of the document. Only 26 copies are known to have survived, with the Dallas copy being discovered in 1968 at a Philadelphia bookstore, said Karl Chiao, Dallas Historical Society\u2019s Carona family executive director.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Referred to as the \u201clost copy,\u201d the declaration came into possession of the city in 1982 and permanently sits on display at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library. It is the only known copy housed west of the Mississippi River, Chiao added.<\/p>\n Chiao said moving the copy from the library to the Hall of State required an armored vehicle and experienced archivist supervising the transfer. Now, visitors can view the declaration in a special commissioned display case in the Great Hall, monitored 24\/7 by security officers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe last thing I want to do is lose the Declaration of Independence on my watch,\u201d Chiao joked, referencing the 2004 Nicolas Cage hit, National Treasure.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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