Middleton’s prized 1818 silk copy of the Declaration of Independence is one of only four in the world
from Staff Reports
As America celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence this month, one of the nation’s rarest tributes to the Declaration of Independence is quietly preserved in West Ashley.
The Middleton Place Foundation is home to one of only four known surviving silk edi-tions of the Declaration of Independence, an exceptionally rare reproduction printed in 1818, just 42 years after the original document was signed.
While the original Declaration proclaimed the birth of a new nation in 1776, the silk edition tells the story of another pivotal moment in American history.
In the years following the War of 1812, as the United States rebuilt the White House and Capitol after British attacks, Americans looked back to the Declaration as a symbol of unity and perseverance. Seeking to preserve that legacy, penmanship teacher Benjamin Owen Tyler partnered with New York printer Peter Maverick to create what many called the nation’s “birth certificate.”
The painstaking reproduction earned praise from two surviving Founding Fathers. Thomas Jefferson wrote to Tyler in 1818 that “no hand trembled on affixing its signature to that paper,” while John Adams described the work as “elegantly executed.”
Nearly 1,700 copies were ordered by subscribers, most printed on paper or parchment. Only a tiny, undetermined number were produced on silk, making them among the rarest ver-sions ever created.
Today, only four silk editions are known to survive. In addition to the copy at Middleton Place, the others are housed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., the Cincinnati Museum Center, and in a private collection that recently surfaced through a Sotheby’s auction.
The Middleton Place connection runs even deeper.
Henry Middleton, son of Declaration signer Arthur Middleton, was serving in Congress during the years following the War of 1812 and witnessed firsthand the rebuilding of the nation’s capital. Historical records show that Henry purchased one of Tyler’s 1818 paper editions, although researchers continue investigating how the rare silk edition ultimately became part of the Middleton Place Foundation’s collection.
What makes the West Ashley copy especially remarkable is its condition. Unlike some early copies that spent decades on public display, the Middleton Place silk edition remained protected in family archives for generations, preserving the intricate calligraphy and signatures with extraordinary clarity.
Earlier this year, another silk edition was estimated at between $15,000 and $20,000 before being offered at a Sotheby’s auction, though the final sale price was not publicly disclosed.
The Middleton Place Foundation’s silk Declaration is currently undergoing professional conservation and is featured in the museum’s exhibition, Conversations of Freedom: The American Revolution at Middleton Place.
As communities across the nation commemorate America’s semiquincentennial, one of the country’s rarest surviving tributes to the Declaration of Independence can be found not in Washington, Philadelphia or Boston, but right here in West Ashley.
Middleton Place is also one of only 11 remaining sites in the United States where visitors can experience the birthplace, home, and landscape associated with a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Conversations of Freedom: The American Revolution at Middleton Place opened to the public in April and is included with general admission. Middleton Place is located at 4300 Ashley River Road. For more information, call (843) 556-6020 or visit www.middletonplace.org
