HOUSTON — Nine founding-era U.S. documents arrived in Houston on Monday aboard a private aircraft as part of a national touring exhibition marking the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding.
Officials held a welcome ceremony at William P. Hobby Airport that included a water cannon salute and a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by the Summer Creek High School Choir.
The documents traveled from Los Angeles, California to Houston, Texas as part of the “Freedom Plane National Tour.” The exhibition is scheduled for public display starting Friday at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
Houston serves as the fourth stop in an eight-city tour and the only stop in Texas.
Joel Bartsch, chief executive officer of the museum, said the exhibition brings historical materials to a broad audience. Maureen McDonald, a special assistant to the archivist at the National Archives and Records Administration, said the tour allows public viewing of records that are not always on display in Washington, D.C..
McDonald said staff removed the documents from storage for the tour and transported them under controlled conditions. Handlers placed the documents in layered protective materials, including Mylar, matting, Plexiglas, and silica cases, to regulate humidity and environmental exposure during transit.
The collection includes George Washington’s oath of allegiance, the Treaty of Paris (1783), and an annotated draft of the U.S. Constitution.
Museum staff will store the documents at controlled conditions of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit and no more than 45% humidity during the exhibit period. Staff will also limit light exposure to protect the materials.
Dirk Van Tuerenhout, curator of anthropology and director of collections at the museum, said staff prepared for months to meet preservation requirements and maintain environmental controls.
Organizers said similar founding-era documents traveled by train in 1947 across hundreds of U.S. cities, but officials no longer transport those materials due to preservation concerns.
The exhibit list includes an 1823 engraving of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Association of 1774, oaths of allegiance from 1778, the Treaty of Paris, a 1787 draft of the Constitution, records of state ratification votes, and Senate annotations to the Bill of Rights.