Where is the original engrossed Declaration of Independence preserved for the America250 anniversary?

The original engrossed Declaration of Independence is preserved in the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., for the America250 era.

The engrossed document is the formal parchment copy signed by delegates to the Second Continental Congress. It is displayed in the National Archives Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, alongside the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. The display uses protective environmental and lighting controls because parchment and ink are vulnerable to deterioration.

The Declaration’s earlier history included storage and movement during wartime and later transfers among federal institutions. It is not the same thing as the many printed broadsides produced in 1776. The most famous early printing was the Dunlap broadside, while the National Archives holds the signed parchment.

Independence Hall in Philadelphia is closely associated with the Declaration’s adoption, and the Capitol contains Trumbull’s famous painting. Neither location is the permanent home of the original engrossed document.