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A free exhibition in Denver will display founding documents

Esteban L. Hernandez

A group of museum visitors leans over a glass display case, studying illuminated panels. A woman with dark hair uses a smartphone while a child and several adults observe in a bright, ornate hall. — Documents carried by the Freedom Plane on display at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City. Photo: Courtesy of the National Archives

Colorado's getting a special gift for its 150th anniversary — and it's tied to the country's own 250th celebration this year.

Zoom in: The Freedom Plane National Tour will stop at History Colorado Center in Denver starting May 28 and make foundational documents available for public viewing for the first time.

Reservations to see the exhibition opened this week.

Why it matters: Denver's one of only eight cities on the tour. Museum staff call it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see rare documents.

What to expect: A 1787 secret printing of a draft U.S. Constitution, an 1823 original engraving of the Declaration of Independence, and a 1787 tally of votes approving the Constitution are among the documents in the exhibition.

These historic artifacts haven't traveled together outside Washington D.C., before, the museum said in a statement.

"These documents embody the revolutionary idea that we are a nation bound together by shared ideals," Dawn DiPrince, the president and CEO of History Colorado, said in a statement.

If you go: The exhibition is free, but you'll need to reserve a slot online. It runs until June 14.

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A free exhibition in Denver will display founding documents

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