Charters of Freedom

The Charters of Freedom are our country’s founding documents. These three original documents, The Declaration of Independence, The United States Constitution, and The Bill of Rights, are on display in the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

They are open to the public and free to view.

Foundation Forward, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3), is an educational organization that builds Your Charters of Freedom Settings in local communities across the country. In 2012, Vance and Mary Jo Patterson began working on a project to build a Charters of Freedom Setting on the Old Burke County Courthouse Green. Two years later on July 2, 2014, the first Charters of Freedom Setting outside of Washington, DC was dedicated in downtown Morganton, North Carolina.

On October 9th, 2019, Vance and Mary Jo Patterson gifted Mayor Lee Moritz and the citizens of Conover with our own Charters of Freedom. This permanent installation will serve as an educational resource for generations to come.

Learn more information about Foundation Forward and other Charters of Freedom installations around the country at the Charters of Freedom website.