Community Reading of the Declaration of Independence

The Amherst Historical Society will be presenting a communal reading of the Declaration of Independence at noon on Saturday, July 4th from the steps of the Amherst Town Hall.  The event will be marked by the ringing of church bells throughout the town at noon, followed by a summoning of the community to Town Hall by the blowing of a conch shell.  Historically, a conch shell was used to call the residents of Amherst to gather to conduct town business.  The Historical Society has several examples of conchs used by town officials over the years, including the original dating back to the 18th century.  The conch to be used was purchased for the event and is not historic.    Members of the Town Council will present a proclamation and after that, Representative Mindy Domb will begin the reading with the Preamble.  The public is invited to join in following the opening statements, particularly with the section that begins, “We hold these truths…”   Individual readers from the community will… View Source