The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence - The Document

The Meck. Dec. Document

According to legend, the original Mecklenburg Declaration of Independencewas signed by more than twenty-five prominent citizens of Mecklenburg County on May 20, 1775.

There is no original copy of this document because it is alleged to have been burned in a fire shortly after its signing. However, others believe the loss in a fire was a misinterpretation of an historical event when John McKnitt Alexander's home burned.

The question of whether the original document ever existed has been debated for decades and there is much information to support both sides of the argument.

The document to the left is a recreation of the original that was signed in 1775.

Listen to a reading of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence