Story perspectives

Rare 1776 Exeter Declaration Broadside Unveiled, Sailor Vanishes

7/4/2026

Summary

Story summary

Archivist Michael Scurr was ordered to keep his discovery of a 1776 Exeter printing of the Declaration of Independence secret for a month while experts examined it.
Printed in Exeter, New Hampshire between July 16 and July 19, 1776, the broadside traveled to privateer Dalton, was seized by the Royal Navy in December 1776, and entered state archives.
Among Dalton’s 120-man crew, free Black sailor Daniel Cottle later vanished, leaving his fate unknown.

History

Historical Context

On December 16 1773, the Sons of Liberty in Boston dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor, protesting the Tea Act. Parliament responded in early 1774 with the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts, tightening control over Massachusetts and rallying the colonies. These confrontations spurred a colonial print and maritime network that spread revolutionary ideas, culminating in independence in 1783.

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Story summary

Archivist Michael Scurr was ordered to keep his discovery of a 1776 Exeter printing of the Declaration of Independence secret for a month while experts examined it.
Printed in Exeter, New Hampshire between July 16 and July 19, 1776, the broadside traveled to privateer Dalton, was seized by the Royal Navy in December 1776, and entered state archives.
Among Dalton’s 120-man crew, free Black sailor Daniel Cottle later vanished, leaving his fate unknown.

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