UPTON/MENDON – For the first time since the Revolutionary War, two handwritten local copies of the Declaration of Independence have been displayed side by side. Last week, the historic documents from Mendon and Upton were brought together at Nipmuc Regional High School, giving students a rare opportunity to study the pieces up close.
When the Declaration was approved on July 4, 1776, a printer produced roughly 200 copies to be sent to the colonies. Each town was instructed to read the document aloud and then transcribe it by hand into their official record books. Remarkably, both Mendon and Upton have preserved their handwritten copies for nearly 250 years.
The temporary reunion offered students a living connection to the nation’s founding—and a glimpse at how their own communities helped carry out the earliest acts of American democracy.
