After the holes for the Charters of Freedom monuments will be completed, they will be prepared for cement and the pillars that will hold each one of the documents: the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights and Civil Rights Amendments.
Mark DeLap | Bladen Journal
MONUMENTS IN BLADEN COUNTY
Larry and Amanda Coffey from Foundation Forward are responsible for going to each of the designated counties to begin the work of breaking ground, contracting the brick masons and putting the monuments together.
Mark DeLap | Bladen Journal
The groundbreaking for the Bladen County Charters of Freedom monuments began May 20. Each hole that is dug will be four feet deep and the monuments will last between 300-500 years.
Mark DeLap | Bladen Journal
The Charters of Freedom monuments were erected and dedicated at the Union County Courthouse on June 16, 2014. The monuments that are being built at the Bladen County Courthouse will be done in time for the dedication July 2.
Photo Courtesy | Union County Charters of Freedom
ELIZABETHTOWN – If you have witnessed some heavy equipment, strangers and digging on the courthouse front lawn – then things are progressing as planned.
The Charters of Freedom nonprofit program has chosen to build their structures that promote patriotism and freedom by way of four reminders.
According to a letter first sent to Bladen County Commissioner Charles Ray Peterson, “Foundation Forward, our 501 c (3) has been building and gifting Charters of Freedom Settings across North Carolina. These settings display the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights and Civil Rights Amendments in a proper setting, but to last 300-500 years. To date we have completed and dedicated 40 counties, with a goal of doing all 100 counties so all will know the history of our country and how government is supposed to work, Federal, State and Local.”
According to Larry and Amanda Coffey, workers who are doing the digging and getting the ground ready for the settings, the site will be dedicated July 2 – just in time for the Fourth of July celebrations.
“What they’re doing is choosing from a list of contractors I sent them,” Peterson said. “It’s going to be like, 4 feet deep for each monument. After they are done digging, they will have a brick mason and a concrete man come in. They do it all and it’s free. Their money’s coming from a foundation”
Peterson is excited about the project and the possibilities for education after the monuments are erected.
“We are going to do some landscaping around the courthouse too,” Peterson said. “We’ve already started with building the ramp and changing the railings out. I envision this thing in the summertime or when school is in session. I can see all of these schools taking field trips up here, all of them sitting out there on the lawn, eating their lunch and viewing these monuments.”
Peterson also commented that to have something like this local is so great because many kids will not get to visit those same monuments that are in Washington D.C.
According to the Charters of Freedom website, “In 2011, Founders Vance and Mary Jo Patterson took a trip to Washington, DC. They visited the National Archives and experienced the United States’ founding documents for the very first time.
“Vance recalls that when he saw something the Founding Fathers had actually penned it gave him goosebumps. When they read the words, “We the People,” he saw tears in Mary Jo’s eyes. This emotional experience made a lasting impression on the couple and would go on to shape the organization that exists today. In 2012, Vance had an idea, “What if we could duplicate that experience we had in Washington, D.C.? What if we could bring that experience back to the citizens of Burke County, North Carolina?”
“Two years later, the couple gifted the very first Charters of Freedom setting outside of Washington, D.C. to the citizens of Burke County. Carrying that same vision, with the goal to reach other communities across America, Foundation Forward, Inc. was officially formed. It now operates as a nonprofit
educational project that promotes civics, education, and the preservation of American history. Over 30 settings have been dedicated across the country in nine states.”
The Foundation Forward actually broke ground at the Bladen County Courthouse May 20.
“We’ll be completely finished right before the dedication” Amanda Coffey said. “July 2 is your dedication date. We’ll be back in two weeks to put the tops on and to put the documents in the cases. We will then come back right before the dedication to put the paver field in.”
Larry Coffey was doing landscaping when the Foundation noticed his work and hired him and his wife to work on these projects. There are four monuments going in along with a donors monument where people who give can have their name inscribed on the plaque.
Each monument will be illuminated at night – giving people an open window to view the history of our nation.
For more information on the dedication, you can call Bladen County Commissioner Chairman, Charles Ray Peterson and for more pictures and information on the monuments and the foundation, you can go to their website: chartersoffreedom.com.