Doylestown, Pennsylvania, June 29, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- One of only two known, authentic copies of the original Declaration of Independence will be on display during Fonthill Castle's Old-Fashioned 4th of July Celebration. Set for Wednesday, July 4 from noon until 4 pm, the exhibit will allow the public a rare opportunity to view the Declaration as it might have looked in 1776. Fonthill Castle is located at East Court Street and Route 313 in Doylestown, PA.
Rescued from obscurity by America's History Detective, Tom Lingenfelter, this copy of the Declaration has been authenticated to be the only true facsimile copy of the handwritten original and is the most faithful and perfect copy in existence today.
Considered to be 'historically more important' than the original, Jeffrey Ryan, PhD. substantiated the importance of Lingenfelter's discovery by saying that this is one of the only direct and original copies of the Declaration ever made, "the fact that the resultant damage to the original made another copy impossible amplifies its importance." Robert Lucas, Historical Document & Ephemera Consultant said of Lingefelter's Declaration, "This is a truly significant, historic find, especially since no one knew it even existed. It answers the mystery of what happened to the original Declaration, America's National Treasure. It certainly deserves to be described as priceless."
At 1:30 and 2:45 on Wednesday, July 4, Tom Lingenfelter, President of Heritage Collectors' Society, Inc.(www.heritagecs.com) will give a talk about the previously unknown copy of the Declaration of Independence he discovered. He will discuss the anastatic process along with the steps he took to authenticate the document. Lingenfelter's discovery revealed that Independence National Historic Park in Philadelphia, PA possessed, unknowingly, the only other authentic copy.
The 4th of July exhibit is sponsored in part by Ed Price, President of the Moland House of Hartsville, PA. The Moland House served as the headquarters for General George Washington during the Revolutionary War from August 10 to 23, 1777.
Meet Tom Lingenfelter, America's History Detective and hear the discovery story and see the Only True Copy of the Original Declaration of Independence on Wednesday, July 4 at Doylestown's Fonthill Castle Festival. Fonthill Castle is located at East Court Street and Route 313 in Doylestown, PA. Admission for the festival is $4 for adults, $2 for members, $1 for children (ages 5 to 17) and free for children 4 and under. Parking on the grounds is free.
The next exhibit of Lingenfelter's Declaration is scheduled for July 8 at the Sigal Museum, Easton, PA.
A photo accompanying this release is available at:
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=13522
