July 8, 1776

Do you know why Easton, PA, each year holds a celebration at the beginning of July that includes family activities, food vendors, and fireworks and calls it Heritage Day?

The reason for Heritage Day in Easton, PA, is because on July 8, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read in Easton, PA, by Robert Levers, a Northampton County politician.

July 8, 1776, Robert Levers reading the Declaration of Independence from the steps of the old Northampton County Courthouse to a large, attentive, and serious audience including a light infantry company displaying the famous thirteen-star flag of Easton, Pennsylvania.       

 

On July 5, 1776, the Committee of Safety in Philadelphia stated the following:  “Resolved, that copies of the Declaration be sent to the several Assemblies, Conventions, and Councils of Safety, and to the several Commanding Officers of the Continental Troops, that it be proclaimed in each of the United States, and at the Head of the Army.”  In Consequence of the above Resolve, Letters were wrote to the Counties of Bucks, Chester, Northampton, Lancaster, and Berks, Inclosing Copy of the said Declaration, requesting the same to be publish’d on Monday next, at the places where the Election for Delegates are to be held.” Pennsylvania. Council of Safety. "Minutes of the Council of Safety, July 5, 1776." In Minutes of the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania, from the Organization to the Termination of the Proprietary Government, Vol. 10. Edited by Samuel Hazard. Harrisburg: Printed by T. Fenn, 1851-1852.

It has been stated that the Declaration of Independence was read in three places - Philadelphia, PA, Easton, PA, and Trenton, NJ.  However, the Declaration may definitely have been read at several other locations as well. Most notably it was read by Colonel John Nixon on July 8, 1776,  in Philadelphia and in Trenton, New Jersey, by Samuel Tucker.

Want to learn about the City of Easton, Robert Levers, or other events that occurred in Northampton County during the early years of the birth of our country? If yes, then come to the Marx Local History Room at the Easton Area Public Library to find out more.