Editor’s note: This article has been updated to add information about a reading taking place in Carroll County.
On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring that the Thirteen Colonies were free, united states independent from Great Britain.
Four days later, that foundational document was read aloud to the public for the first time in Philadelphia.
Two-hundred-and-fifty years after the birth of our nation, Maryland communities will carry on the tradition for the country’s semiquincentennial by holding public readings of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 2026.
Several readings will take place across Harford County.
“I encourage Harford County citizens of all ages to attend one of these readings,” County Executive Bob Cassilly said. “Hearing the words of the Declaration of Independence will be a powerful reminder of the revolutionary principles that have made our country great: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’ We must cherish these ideals as a gift from our forefathers to future generations.”
The “Sharing the Spirit of America” readings will take place at eight locations across Harford County.
Each Harford County reading will occur at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8.
The reading locations will be:
- Harford County Public Library’s Aberdeen Library: 21 Franklin Street, Aberdeen
- Harford County Public Library’s Abingdon Library: 2510 Tollgate Road, Abingdon
- Harford County Public Library’s Bel Air Library: 100 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Bel Air
- Harford County Public Library’s Darlington Library: 3535 Conowingo Road, Street
- Harford County Public Library’s Fallston Library: 1461 Fallston Road, Fallston
- Harford History Center: 143 N. Main Street, Bel Air
- Hays House Museum: 324 Kenmore Avenue, Bel Air
- STAR Centre: 700 Congress Avenue, Havre de Grace
Carroll County will also host a declaration reading on July 8 at the Historic Carroll County Courthouse, located at 200 Willis St. in Westminster.
The reading will begin promptly at 6 p.m., so attendees should plan to arrive by 5:45 p.m. for the ceremony and opening remarks by Carroll County Commissioner Tom Gordon of District 3.
