From the Desk of the County Manager, September 18, 2026

Greetings, Durham!

This year marks America’s 250th anniversary, our nation’s semiquincentennial, and Durham is joining the celebration with special recognitions and tributes honoring this milestone: 250 years since the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Duke University and Durham have partnered on “We the People,” a special series marking the 250th anniversary through public events that invite the community to explore who “the people” have been and who we aspire to be. The series’ first major event is a collaboration with Durham County Library and the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University: a free exhibition featuring three rare, historic copies of the Declaration of Independence, on loan from the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection. The exhibition includes a full-sized 1823 facsimile engraved by William J. Stone, known as a “Stone Declaration,” alongside two earlier broadside reproductions: an 1818 edition by calligrapher Benjamin Owen Tyler and a more elaborately illustrated 1819 version published by John Binns. The collection arrived at the library on September 8, and remains on view through this Sunday, September 20, before moving to the Nasher Museum.

What has made this opportunity so meaningful is how it has brought our community together, from Durham residents to visitors from as far away as Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It has sparked genuine conversation about what these words meant to those who wrote them, and what they mean to those of us reading them 250 years later. More than 2,000 people have viewed the documents so far. The library also hosted three special programs in September exploring our county’s history, progress, and struggles since 1776. You can watch some of the community’s reflections, captured by library staff, here and additional thoughts were provided here.

The exhibition’s impact has extended well beyond the prints themselves. School groups and other visitors have engaged with primary-source activities, poetry prompts, and historical reflection in the library’s auditorium before stepping in to view the documents.

Members of the Durham County Board of Commissioners, Durham County Government, the City of Durham, and I reflected on the Declaration of Independence and what it means to our nation today and I invite you to watch those conversations here.

I want to especially thank everyone who worked to bring this project to life for our community, including Stephanie Fennell, deputy director of Durham County Main Library, and colleagues across Durham County Library, Durham County Government, and Duke University.

Dana Conners, director of Durham County Library, said: “The Durham County Library is excited to welcome the Stone Declaration to Main Library as it begins its stay here in Durham,” said Library Director Dana Conners. “Having these early printings of the Declaration of brings a meaningful piece of our nation’s story right into the community’s living room at the library. We the People encourages us to pause and consider the journey we’ve shared and the path forward. My hope is that people of all generations walk away from this exhibit feeling curious, inspired, and optimistic about what we can continue to build together.”

This is your last chance to see the exhibition before it closes Sunday, September 20. Library hours are posted online. I hope you’ll take a moment to view it and reflect on how the Declaration of Independence shaped our history, and how its words continue to give meaning today and into the future.

Until next week,

Claudia Hager

Durham County Manager