Thomas Jefferson requested that his three greatest achievements be listed on his tombstone: drafting the Declaration of Independence, founding the University and writingthe Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom. Now the first two pieces of this legacy have come together on Grounds.
Last week, Albert H. Small gave the University a collection of historical items related to the Declaration of Independence, which will be displayed in the Special Collections Library upon its expected completion in 2004.
The library, which houses rare books and manuscripts, currently is located on the second floor of Alderman Library but will move into a new facility which is under construction in front of Miller Hall.
One notable component of the collection is a manuscript from 1818 bearing the signatures of Jefferson, James Madison, John Quincy Adams, John Marshall and Henry Clay. Other items include an engraved copperplate replica of the original Declaration, a letter written by a Continental Congress delegate on July 4, 1776, a 1775 letter from British general Thomas Gage declaring martial law in the colonies, as well as seven other artifacts.
Small is a 1946 Engineering graduate, a former member of the Board of Visitors and currently a real-estate developer in Bethesda, Md.
His most recent gifts are only part of his Declaration of Independence collection, which he plans eventually to donate in its entirety to the University.
Last week's donation is the second Small has given to the University. In 2000, he gave several, early colonial printings of the Declaration.
"He's built the most important collection of Declaration of Independence materials in the world," University librarian Karin Wittenborg said. "He wanted a place to display them."
Once the new Special Collections Library is completed, Small's donations will be part of rotating displays in the basement, said Michael Plunkett, director of the Special Collections Library.
Until the new building is opened, Small's donations will remain in Alderman Library.
"They won't be displayed as such, but they will be available to the public," Plunkett said.
Many of the items in Small's collection need special treatment in order to be preserved. Plunkett cited "keeping the temperature and humidity at a set point" as necessary measures to avoid degradation of the historical items.
Wittenborg estimated the value of the items that Small gave last week at approximately $3 million.
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