In a first-of-its-kind event, the Georgia Historical Society will publicly display Abraham Baldwin’s draft copy of the United States Constitution this Thursday in commemoration of Constitution Day 2015. 

One of only 13 still in existence, the draft includes the handwritten margin notes of Baldwin, one of Georgia’s signers of the Constitution of 1787.

“This is a unique opportunity to view one the greatest treasures in the Georgia Historical Society collection and see the handwritten notes made by Abraham Baldwin during the Constitutional Convention of 1787,” said Dr. W. Todd Groce, president and CEO of the Georgia Historical Society.  “This is not just Georgia history; this is American history and a rare glimpse into the cornerstone of our government.”

In celebration of Constitution Day and to kick off the 2016 Georgia History Festival, GHS invites everyone to experience this piece of American history firsthand. The GHS Research Center will be open Thursday between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. for self-guided tours, featuring the first public showing of this unique document, along with educational displays and other one-of-a-kind materials that tell the story of Georgia’s role in the founding of our nation.

“We’re pleased to have the opportunity to showcase so many treasures from the GHS collection that reinforce the important role that Georgia played in our nation’s  founding ,” added Groce. 

Other items on display will be a Revolutionary War battle drum, the official Commission of John Berrien as Inspector of the Port of Savannah from 1792 signed by President George Washington and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, and a British musket taken from the British gunship HMS Serapis by John Paul Jones and presented to Benjamin Franklin.  But the star of the day will be Baldwin’s draft of the Constitution.