FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 2, 2026
Declaration of Independence headlines display of national treasures at Cincinnati Museum Center
Museum commemorates America's 250th anniversary with two exhibitions opening Friday
CINCINNATI - As thousands of people embark on a patriotic pilgrimage to view the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives in Washington, DC, an older version of the country’s foundational text is on display in Cincinnati. Cincinnati Museum Center is showcasing the region’s national treasures in two exhibitions as part of the America 250 commemoration. Both exhibitions open July 3. 
At the heart of Cincinnati Museum Center’s celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary is the Holt broadside printing of the Declaration of Independence, one of just five in existence. The single-sided document rolled off the presses of New York printer John Holt on the evening of July 9, 1776, the same day the New York Provincial Congress affirmed its support for independence. The decision by the colonial legislature meant the American push for independence was now unanimous. Holt printed 500 copies of the Declaration, with New York’s proclamation in support at the top of the founding document. In New York City, as the fate of the war hung in the balance, troops in General George Washington’s army heard the Holt broadside printing of the Declaration of Independence read aloud as they prepared to defend the city. It wasn’t until early August that the Continental Congress commissioned an embossed copy of the Declaration of Independence that would be signed by all 55 delegates.
“Cincinnati Museum Center has an incredible collection of treasures that represent defining, foundational moments in our national history,” said Elizabeth Pierce, president & CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “Precious artifacts like the Holt Broadside printing of the Declaration of Independence define our role as caretakers and storytellers and remind us the role Cincinnati and the Ohio Valley have played in our nation’s 250-year history.”
The esteemed document is the centerpiece of Declarative Acts & Revolutionary Actors, which features national treasures with Cincinnati connections. The blue silk banner of the 1st Pennsylvania Battalion – formed at the start of the war in 1775 – is unfurled in the exhibition. At its center are the words “United We Stand” above a bundle of 13 arrows bound together by a ribbon. In the flag’s canton, 13 red and white stripes, repurposed from the flag’s original British Union Jack, offer physical evidence of a people transforming from British subjects into citizens of a new republic.
Artifacts from Fort Washington connect Cincinnati directly to the establishment of federal authority in the new nation’s Northwest Territory. The fort’s formal plans by Major John Doughty and a hand drawing by Captain Jonathan Heart – the earliest depiction of the frontier fort – are displayed alongside a salvaged timber and chain from the 18th-century fort. The U.S. Legion’s 1794 Northwest Territory Order Book catalogs the resources and movements at Fort Washington and the reality of life at the western edge of the American republic.
Declarative Acts & Revolutionary Actors is open through August 23, 2026.
History through a new lens
While one exhibition explores the nation’s founding and westward expansion, another presents 19th-century America through the groundbreaking work of two of the era’s most accomplished photographers.
“Equal to Any in the City:” Ball & Thomas Photographs 1840s – 1870s showcases more than 100 original photographs from the museum’s renowned J.P. Ball collection. The collection is the largest assemblage of Ball’s work in the United States, comprised of more than 400 daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, cartes de visite and more.
In Cincinnati, James Presley Ball, a free man of color, built one of the most successful photography studios in the country. His work transcended racial barriers in a period of profound inequality. Ball photographed some of the most prominent people of the era, including Frederick Douglass, but equally important are his portraits of everyday African American families – powerful visual documentation that preserved identity, dignity and agency for people often underrepresented in 19th-century historical records.
The exhibition also introduces Ball’s talented team, including Alexander S. Thomas – Ball’s brother-in-law and a talented photographer in his own right – and acclaimed painter Robert S. Duncanson who worked to colorize some of Ball’s photographs and paint studio backgrounds.
“Equal to Any in the City:” Ball & Thomas Photographs 1840s – 1870s is open through October 14, 2026 as part of the 2026 FotoFocus Biennial.
America 250 Programming Day – July 11
Cincinnati Museum Center is hosting a day of America 250-themed programming on July 11, including a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence by actors from Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s cast of the American Revolution-reimagined Much Ado About Nothing. Costumed interpreters from the museum will populate Declarative Acts & Revolutionary Actors and the Cincinnati History Museum’s Public Landing, demonstrating life on the early frontier. The food education team will be baking fresh apple pie and discussing how the flaky treat became a symbol of the country in the Cr(eat)e Culinary Studio, and yes, there will be samples. Guests can speak with the museum’s curators in the Cincinnati History Library & Archives about how to preserve their own family history as we all continue to document the story of our country’s next 250 years.
CMC’s participation in the nation’s semisesquicentennial extends beyond its exhibitions. Elizabeth Pierce, president & CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center, serves as a member of the America 250-Ohio Commission, appointed by Governor Mike DeWine, helping guide the state’s official commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. Pierce also serves on the America 250-Ohio Hamilton County Commission, supporting local planning and collaboration to ensure the region’s stories and contributions are part of the statewide and national observance.
To explore CMC’s America 250-Ohio resources and learn more about its exhibitions, visit cincymuseum.org/America-250.
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About Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized, award-winning institution housed in a National Historic Landmark. CMC is a vital community resource that sparks curiosity, inspiration, epiphany and dialogue. CMC was awarded the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and received accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 2012, one of a select few museums in the nation to receive both honors. Organizations within CMC include the Cincinnati History Museum, Museum of Natural History & Science, The Children’s Museum, Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater, Cincinnati History Library and Archives and the Geier Collections and Research Center. Housed in historic Union Terminal – a National Historic Landmark restored in 2018 and recognized as the nation’s 45th most important building by the American Institute of Architects – CMC welcomes more than 1.8 million visits annually, making it one of the most visited museums in the country. For more information, visit cincymuseum.org.
