Re-Enactment of the First Public Reading of Declaration of Independence

Most have heard of Washington’s famous victory over the Hessians in Trenton in December 1776. But did you realize that Trenton first took the world stage in the fight for independence five months earlier? On July 8, 1776 Trenton hosted the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence outside of Philadelphia in front of what was then the Hunterdon County Courthouse on Warren Street (Mercer County did not yet exist).

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 n typical “Trenton Makes the World Takes” fashion, the now-immortal words of the Declaration of Independence were proclaimed aloud, and ultimately heard around the world. That pivotal moment in history will be recreated by the Trenton Kiwanis Club on Monday, July 8, 2024 at Noon—exactly 248 years after the first reading—when Trentonians gather to once again read aloud the Declaration of Independence at 23 South Warren Street – the same site as the first reading in 1776.  A cross-section of civic leaders and citizens young and old lead by Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora will each read a portion of the document as well as the names of the signers from each of the original 13 colonies.

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The program, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Trenton and the City of Trenton Department of Recreation, Natural Resources and Culture is free and open to the public.  For more information, please call (609) 208-9991.