BUCKLAND — A reading of the Declaration of Independence, followed by the signing of a revised version specific to Buckland, will be held at the Wilder Homestead.
Buckland’s new declaration is titled “A Declaration of Community and Conscience,” with one of the first lines reading, “When in the course of our shared life it becomes necessary for neighbors to affirm the bonds that unite them, a decent respect for one another requires that we plainly declare the principles by which we choose to live.”
The document later calls on residents to sign their names in support of “A Declaration of Community and Conscience.”
The event, which will be held on Sunday, July 26, from 1 to 4 p.m., will also feature Revolutionary War-era military uniforms and letters that Continental Army soldiers sent back home to loved ones in Buckland.
“We’re going to start off with [Historical Society Program Director] Polly Anderson running some kids’ games from the early 1800s that would’ve been played then, just to get people all warmed up,” Buckland Historical Society President Pat Schmidt said. “Then we’re going to have [Barn Committee Chair] David Parrella, in costume, read his rewriting of the declaration’s first line.”
The event is running during the Historical Society’s regular open house hours, and the Wilder Homestead will be open to the public. A $5 donation is suggested.
“We will have a station where people can sign their own copy of our new declaration — they can try it with the quill, but we have the ballpoints as backups,” Schmidt said. “We’ll be serving ice cream cones after that.”
At around 3 p.m., the festivities will move to Center Cemetery, near the Buckland Common. There, Tina Peters will offer tours.
“All the Revolutionary soldiers are pretty much buried there, as are the founders of the town of Buckland,” Schmidt explained. “And as always, the [Wilder Homestead] house will be open to view, as well as the barn and the shoemaker’s shop.”
Schmidt was selected as president of the Historical Society last year. She said one of her objectives is to have a theme for every open house. This is just one of the events that the society is hosting between now and the end of November.
“Well darned if this set of trustees didn’t come up with events, so we have events going on all season,” Schmidt said. “None of these things come off without work from a lot of people. We have a great volunteer base. … They’ve put a lot of work in and it’s been good.”
For more information about the Declaration of Independence reading and the signing of Buckland’s “A Declaration of Community and Conscience,” as well as a full list of events hosted by the Buckland Historical Society, visit bucklandmasshistory.org.
