Foundation Forward asks Duplin County to consider donated ‘Charters of Freedom’ installation

Representatives from Foundation Forward told the Duplin County Board of Commissioners on April 7 that the nonprofit can construct and gift a “Charters of Freedom” installation to the county, and asked staff to accept a letter of intent so the county attorney can review site and memorandum details.

David Streeter and Ron Lewis described the exhibit—replicas of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and a pedestal with selected civil-rights amendments—intended to be publicly accessible, 24 hours a day, and sized for a site “no smaller than 20 by 40 feet.” Lewis said the organization has dedicated dozens of similar installations across the country and aims to place one in every North Carolina county before the July 2026 sesquicentennial of the Declaration of Independence. “We will be gifting at no cost to the county the Charters of Freedom,” Lewis said.

Streeter and Lewis said the group is a 501(c)(3) education organization and that the installation’s pedestal will include a framed print of the civil-rights amendments to reflect a broader historical narrative. They told the board they would send a letter of intent outlining what the foundation would do and what might remain for the county to provide; county staff said the county attorney would treat the document as a memorandum of understanding for internal review.

Commissioners asked procedural questions and requested time to review the proposal. The board did not make a commitment at the meeting; the county manager said staff will follow up and the county attorney will review the proposed letter of intent before the board considers any acceptance or site approval.