RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — It’s not every day you can see North Carolina’s copy of the Bill of Rights, but you’ve got a chance this week in Raleigh.
The original copy is on display to visitors at the North Carolina Museum of History through Sunday, including July 4.
Each of the 13 original states received a copy of what were initially 12 amendments to the Constitution, signed by then-Vice President John Adams. Ten amendments were soon ratified.
Historians say the copy was stolen from the old Capitol building in 1865 by a Union soldier. The document wasn’t recovered until 2003 during an FBI sting operation involving an antiques dealer.
The copy is on display from time to time. It otherwise sits in one of two vaults in the State Archives.
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Photo via State Library of North Carolina.
