You may have heard about Dolley Madison and the White House staff saving a famous portrait of George Washington in 1814. But did you know that a U.S. State Department clerk helped save the original copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution? The State Department held the founding documents and other important records before the US National Archives came into being. When the invasion of the capital appeared imminent, Secretary of State James Monroe alerted a State Department clerk named Stephen Pleasonton of the threat. Mr. Pleasonton proceeded to purchase course linen, and cause it to be made into bags of convenient size in which he and other Department employees packed precious books, records, and documents – including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The bags were loaded onto wagons and transported out of harms way.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 21:37:12 +0000
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