HOUSTON — Nine founding-era U.S. documents arrived Monday at William P. Hobby Airport aboard a private plane as part of a national exhibition tour marking the country’s 250th anniversary, organizers said.
Officials held a welcome ceremony at the airport that included a water cannon salute and a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by a local high school choir. The documents were transported from Los Angeles, California to Houston, Texas for display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science beginning May 8 through May 25.
The exhibition is part of the “Freedom Plane National Tour,” an eight-city tour. Houston is the fourth stop and the only location in Texas.
Joel Bartsch, president and CEO of the museum, said the exhibit brings significant historical materials to a broad audience. Maureen McDonald, a representative of the National Archives and Records Administration, oversaw the transport and handling of the documents and said the tour allows public viewing outside Washington, D.C., where the records are typically housed.
The collection includes George Washington’s oath of allegiance, the Treaty of Paris 1783, and an annotated draft of the U.S. Constitution.
Handlers secured the documents in layered protective materials, including Mylar, matting, Plexiglass, and silica enclosures, to control temperature and humidity during transport and display.
Museum officials said the documents require a stable environment of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity below 45%, along with limited light exposure.
Dirk Van Tuerenhout, curator of anthropology and director of collections at the museum, said staff prepared for months to meet preservation requirements.
Organizers said similar historic documents, including the Bill of Rights, traveled across the United States in 1947, but officials no longer allow those items to tour due to their condition.
