Charters of Freedom monuments take another step forward

ASHEBORO —  The Foundation Forward crew returned to Asheboro on June 8 to complete another step in installing the Charters of Freedom monuments.

The monuments, representing the founding documents of the United States, will be on Worth Street near the Randolph County Courthouse complex. On display will be the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights and Civil Rights. There will also be a smaller pedestal acknowledging donors.

Once completed, the larger Constitution monument will contain a time capsule to be filled with items that will be removed at some time in the future. 

The Foundation Forward crew poured concrete foundations on May 14. The latest step was setting limestone capstones on the foundations, upon which the stainless steel, laser-engraved documents will lie. 

The next step will be to brick up the walls of the foundations. That’s expected to occur in a week or two.

Finally, the documents will be set on the capstones just prior to the time when Foundation Forward traditionally unveils the documents during a public dedication ceremony.

Mike Unruh, director of Foundation Forward, said the date of the dedication will be set in consultation with the Randolph County commissioners, who had approved of the Charters of Freedom monuments.

The dedication ceremony, Unruh said, normally includes a speaker, playing of the National Anthem, a color guard and dignitaries. It’s likely the documents will be covered prior to the unveiling.

Placing the capstones required measurements to keep them square on the foundations and with each other. The capstones were secured to the foundations with tapcon screws.

Larry Coffey, construction manager for Foundation Forward, said the Declaration of Independence monument is lower because of the grade of the adjoining sidewalk. He said there is a 10-inch decline from the east side of the apron to the west side.

The masonry, ordered by the county and donated by Statesville Brick, will match the building behind the documents. Coffey said he believed local brick masons will be used.

According to Unruh, Foundation Forward has completed 80 Charters of Freedom monuments in 18 states, with 48 of them in North Carolina. He said the goal is to have them in all 3,143 counties in the United States.

The Charters of Freedom was founded by Vance and Mary Jo Patterson of Burke County after visiting the National Archives in Washington, DC., in 2011. Seeing the documents signed by our nation’s fathers was an emotional experience which they wanted to share with others who may not have the opportunity to visit Washington.

So the Pattersons decided to bring the documents to the people, in the form of monuments that can be viewed by the public near their homes. The projects are funded primarily by donations.

Soon, Randolph County residents will be able to view the Charters of Freedom. The Randolph Hub will announce the date and time of the dedication ceremony.