America's founding documents may soon be available in Cleveland County
Have you ever seen the U.S. Constitution or the Bill of Rights in person?
Cleveland County Commissioners recently approved a project that would bring the nation's founding documents directly to the county for every resident to see.
Jeff Morse, former town manager of Valdese, gave a presentation to commissioners during the June 16 meeting and said he represents a nonprofit educational foundation called Charters of Freedom, which installs life-size replicas of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
He said CEO Vance Patterson and his wife, Mary Jo Patterson, visited the national archives in Washington, D.C., in 2012 and saw the original documents of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
It made such an impact on the couple, they wanted to find a way to bring the charters to the rest of the country.
"His vision was to bring a replica back to North Carolina so every county would have the charters of freedom," Morse said. "It's now in over 60 counties in North Carolina."
They have also installed the documents in at least a dozen other states.
Morse said the goal is to reach all 100 North Carolina counties before the end of the year.
"This is a gift that we provide to the citizens of every county," he said. "We ask you to identify a location that has high visibility and that is very accessible to place your charters of freedom. Once you agree to a location of choice, we come in and work with county manger, county attorney and if commissioners approve this, we create a document called a letter of intent."
He said the letter of intent outlines that the foundation is responsible for building the charters of freedom, including the charters and the pedestals where they will be displayed. If commissioners want to add additional features, such as landscaping, lighting, concrete apron or other details, the foundation will coordinate it with the construction crew, but the county will be responsible for the cost.
"This is a gift that we provide. We're well established as a nonprofit doing these projects," Morse said.
He said there will be seven pedestals -- one for the Declaration of Independence, four for the Constitution, one for the Bill of Rights and one for the civil rights amendments. There will also be donor pedestals for people who want to donate to the project and their name will then go on a plaque.
The display will be 20 by 40 feet, with different designs available depending on the location.
"We are very flexible in meeting the demands of the county," Morse said. "This is your charter and we accommodate as much as we can."
He said the project coincides with the America 250 celebrations and the goal is to have all counties completed over the next six months.
County Commissioner Deb Hardin said she was in support of the project.
"I'm not sure people are being exposed to how our country got here," she said. "I think it's a wonderful idea personally."
Chairman Kevin Gordon said the project came at the right time with the construction of the new justice center complex and that it serve as the ideal location for the charter.
The project was unanimously approved.
Morse said by approving, the county isn't committing 100%. The foundation will meet with county staff and decide on amenities they want to add, the total cost and then the letter of intent will be signed.
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: America's founding documents may soon be available in Cleveland County
Reporting by Rebecca Sitzes, Shelby Star / The Shelby Star
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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 5:08 AM.