Fourth of July 1914. (Photo courtesy of the Marquette Regional History Center)

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few months, you’ve probably heard that the United States of America is turning 250 years old on the Fourth of July. The Continental Congress had voted for independence on July 2, 1776, and two days after that, on July 4, the final wording of the Declaration of Independence was adopted.

The document was largely drafted by Thomas Jefferson and revised by committee. The radical document laid out not only a legal case against King George III but also provided a philosophical argument for the self-rule and the equality of all men.

Word spread through Philadelphia that something significant was happening. On the morning of July 8, the citizens of Philadelphia were summoned to the State House Yard by the town criers, church bells, and handwritten notices. Few knew what they were about to hear but they knew it was going to be extraordinary. At noon Colonel John Nixon, a local merchant and militia officer, stepped onto a platform and publicly read the Declaration of Independence for the very first time.

In 1849, the year of Marquette’s founding, there were no local commemorations as it was only a few days later that the first settlers began clearing the land. The first Fourth of July celebrations in Marquette, for which there is any record, took place in 1855. The festivities coincided with the opening of the Soo Locks a few days earlier and the arrival of several large steamers from the lower lakes.

Local businessman Heman B. Ely, who had overseen the construction of the Iron Mountain Railroad to the mines, organized the 1855 festivities and contributed most of the funds. Peter White later recalled that Ely “furnished the refreshments, the cannon, the powder and the music, and invited every man, woman, and child in the county” to a huge outdoor banquet in the yard of his house on Lake Street (now Lakeshore Boulevard) near Gaines Rock.

The day began with a parade of several Sunday School classes under the leadership of George King, the Jackson Iron Company clerk. The group marched from Washington Street to Ely’s home, where over 1000 people gathered. Dr. James J. St. Clair, manager of the Cleveland Iron Company, a physician and the first supervisor of Marquette County was president of the day and gave the opening address. St. Clair was followed by George King, who addressed the children and Peter White who read the Declaration of Independence. Ely gave the grand oration, talking on the history of the United States and stressing the great future of Marquette and the iron range in general.

As part of this year’s semiquincentennial celebrations, America250 is inviting every community and municipality across Michigan, the nation and the world to participate in “Sharing the Spirit of America,” to hear and claim the promises that launched a nation. The Marquette Regional History Center and the Beaumier Upper Peninsula Heritage Center will join the synchronized public reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8 on the steps of the Marquette County Courthouse, 234 W. Baraga Ave.

The reading begins at 6 p.m. Follow the parade through the Farmer’s Market on Washington Street or arrive 15 minutes early to hear the introduction. Various speakers will alternate reading different sections of the Declaration of Independence, joined by Revolutionary War reenactor Dr. Jim Strain playing the drum. In case of inclement weather, the event will take place at the Marquette Regional History Center, located at 145 W. Spring St.