Houston Museum of Natural Science Presents Original Founding-Era Documents from May 8-26, 2026 in National Archives “Freedom Plane National Tour” as One of Host Cities

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The “Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation” event, which is FREE and Open to the Public, is in celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary as documents are displayed for the first time in history

On January 20, 2026, the National Archives and Records Administration, in partnership with the National Archives Foundation, announced the “Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation” traveling exhibition is bringing Founding-era documents to eight American cities throughout 2026. Houston is one of these cities.

Inspired by the Bicentennial Freedom Train, the Freedom Plane National Tour will make historic and consequential documents fundamental to America’s founding accessible across the nation to celebrate the semiquincentennial. Now entering the halfway mark through the tour, the exhibition will be open at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) Saturday, May 9 – Monday, May 25 (members see it first Friday, May 8).

“As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, there is no more fitting tribute than bringing these original documents leaving the National Archives together for the very first time, directly to the American people,” says Joel Bartsch, President and CEO of HMNS. “From George Washington’s oath as a Continental Army officer to the Treaty of Paris that secured our independence, these are not replicas or reproductions. They are the genuine records, and Houston will have the rare privilege of experiencing them in person this May.”​​​​​​​​​​​

“Through our critical support of the Freedom Plane National Tour, the National Archives Foundation is helping to bring not only founding-era documents themselves, but the patriotism, celebration, and wonder that they inspire, to Americans everywhere—from sea to shining sea,” said National Archives Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Patrick M. Madden. 

The “Freedom Plane National Tour: Documents That Forged a Nation” exhibition will visit the following cities in the following months:

Some of the documents include:

  • Original Engraving of the Declaration of Independence, 1823: One of only about 50 known engraved copies of the Declaration of Independence, printed from a copperplate of the original. Commissioned by John Quincy Adams and made by engraver William J. Stone, the engraving captured the size, text, lettering, and signatures of the original document (on loan from David M. Rubenstein). 
  • Articles of Association, 1774: Signed by all 53 delegates, the Articles of Association urged colonists to boycott British goods and was the Continental Congress’s first major unified act of resistance against Britain.
  • George Washington’s, Alexander Hamilton’s, and Aaron Burr’s Oaths of Allegiance, 1778: Oaths of Allegiance that all officers of the Continental Army signed during the Revolutionary War. 
  • Treaty of Paris, 1783: Signed by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay, this Treaty with Great Britain formally recognized the United States as an independent nation.
  • Secret Printing of the Constitution in Draft Form, 1787:A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution in draft form, with the delegate’s handwritten notes made during the Constitutional Convention in 1787. 
  • Tally of Votes Approving the Constitution, 1787:The voting records of the Constitutional Convention reflecting the debates, resolutions, and eventual vote on the final text that would become the Constitution. 

The exhibition will be free and open to the public at all venues. For more information, visit our website at www.hmns.org or call (713) 639-4629.

Photos: V. Sweeten

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