Let freedom ring: Daughters of the American Revolution in Easton celebrate signing of the Constitution

EASTON, Pa. — For a single, solid minute Wednesday afternoon, anyone wandering throughout downtown could hear a chorus of bells ringing from Center Square.

Dressed in colonial garb, several members of the Daughters of the American Revolution, alongside a group of Girl Scouts, rang bells to celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

“Today we are ringing the bells, and we had some of our chapter members here to celebrate the Constitution,” George Taylor House of the Daughters of the American Revolution spokeswoman Holly Hutchison said.

“In 1995, the Daughters of American Revolution, which is a national organization, put it into play, that Constitution Day, and the bells, that it would be Constitution Week.”

Hutchison said she is a “big history buff,” and has always been intrigued by the Revolutionary War. After researching her own history via Ancestry.com, Hutchison found she had familial ties to the start of the nation.

“And then further research brought me to understand that I have several ancestors that are American Revolutionary War soldiers," Hutchison said.

"And our family settled Martins Creek in 1748, and the sons of the first generation, so my sixth-great-grandfather, fought five battles in the American Revolutionary War.”

'Ring some bells'

Hutchison said that in light of the upcoming America 250 celebration, it has been a goal to conduct more outreach to “inspire people to understand the preservation of our history and the importance of the American Revolutionary War and patriotism,” especially to educate the youth.

Regent for the George Taylor House of the Daughters of the American Revolution Carolyn Peters said the event, held annually, is “extremely important,” and that she values seeing younger children getting involved.

“It's just explaining about what the Constitution is,” Peters said.

“You know, I actually had a conversation with my granddaughter about it, and she then started talking about the Declaration [of Independence]

"And I said, ‘No! Different document!’ And explained to her what the Constitution was and why it's significant that it's signed here.

"And I'm just super thrilled to be able to celebrate this and have people come out and celebrate it with us. I’m so very appreciative to see this event.”

Girl Scout Troop Leader Ashley Siedt said the Daughters had reached out to her troop to participate, and the young ladies help the Daughters with several events throughout the year, including Wreaths Across America.

“They asked if we'd be interested in doing this with them as well," Peters said.

"So we took the opportunity to teach the kids about the Constitution and the signing, and then brought them down to ring some bells.”

'Greatest experiment ever'

Peters said the children took lessons on the Constitution throughout the week, and would continue to study it throughout the year.

And those children were actually quite receptive to learning and participating in the bell ringing.

“I thought it was really cool," 10-year-old Girl Scout Maddy Siedt said. "And earlier, me and my dad learned about the Constitution and where it was signed in Independence Hall.”

Being that Easton was famously one of the first places in the nation to hear a public reading of the Declaration of Independence, the commemoration of the Constitution in Centre Square appears to be a perfect encapsulation of local — and national — history.

And it's one the Daughters said they intend to keep alive for generations to come.

“I have a constitution on my desk, and I think it's a great foundation for the way that we should operate as citizens of the United States of America,” Hutchison said.

“And I don't think we should change what's worked for so many years.

"It holds true to who we are and what was intended, and it's the greatest experiment ever, and we are trying to perfect it every day."