The exhibit is a collaboration between museum director Megan Coil and Craig Wetzel, local artist, author, graphic designer and business owner.

Some of the documents on display are from the Ohio History Connection archived at the Museum of Ceramics, but the majority of the documents are from Wetzel’s private collection.

The exhibit was created to accompany a museum exhibit celebrating America’s 205th birthday.

The planning of the exhibit to coincide with the America 250 celebration began in 2023, shortly after Coil became director at the museum. Wetzel approached her and told her he had the printed articles that he was interested in exhibiting, and they agreed it would be perfect for America 250.

“Printing Freedom From Boston to Fawcettstown,” an exhibit of original historical documents, is now on display to celebrate America 250 at the Museum of Ceramics. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

Wetzel said they wanted to do something appropriate for America 250 on a national level with a local focus.

Wetzel has been collecting old printings such as the ones in the exhibit for many years as printing has always been a passion of his.

Wetzel printed a guidebook for the exhibit, which is available at the front desk at the museum, for anyone interested in viewing the exhibit.

Coil said the book is designed to provide a richer understanding of each document as the exhibit is being viewed. The book provides detailed descriptions on each document.

The “Printing Freedom” exhibit is divided into three sections: The Revolutionary War Period, Jefferson in the West and Fawcettstown, which narrows the focus closer to East Liverpool.

“Printing Freedom From Boston to Fawcettstown,” an exhibit of original historical documents, is now on display to celebrate America 250 at the Museum of Ceramics. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

One of the highlights of the “Printing Freedom” exhibit is the journal titled “Journals of Congress.” Wetzel notes in the exhibit guide that the journal printed in 1778 is one of only 50 and all of them are in the hands of private collectors. The Journal contains the proceedings of the Continental Congress from Jan. 1, 1776, through Jan. 1, 1777, which was published by the Order of Congress. As the British Army neared the place the journals were being published, the printers were ordered by Congress to move to more secure locations in the country.

The book is on loan for the exhibit from Wetzel’s private collection.

Wetzel will be giving a lecture providing more details and more in-depth history of the Journals at the East Liverpool Community Center on Oct. 13.

Other items in the exhibit include “The Boston Chronicle,” July 11-18, 1768; “Boston Gazette and Country Journal,” Nov. 20, 1769; “London Chronicle” Vol. II, York-Town, 1778; “Pennsylvania Packet” or the “General Advertiser,” Feb. 17,1781; “National Intelligencer” from the library of Thomas Jefferson at Monticello, Nov. 18, 1815; T. Jefferson “President des Etats-unis de L’Amerique” circa 1805; “Cramer’s Pittsburgh Almanack for the Year of our Lord 1806,” published 1805; Cramer, Zadok, “The Navigator,” 1821; “Acts Passed at the First Session of the Seventh Congress of the United States,” 1803; letter from John Beaver to John Larwill, Nov. 22, 1834; Stubbs, Robert “Journal of a Tour through the State of Ohio in the Summer of 1809,” all from Wetzel’s private collection; and Thomas Hutchins “Plat of the Seven Ranges of Townships Being Part of the Territory of the United States N.W. of the Ohio River,” 1874; land patent on parchment signed by James Madison as president and “Original Plat of the town of Liverpool as recorded in Columbiana County,” Aug. 30, 1816, from the Ohio Historic Connection archived at the Museum of Ceramics.

The exhibit also features some early tools and other items on loan from Steven Barlow, Mahoning Valley Sons of the Revolution.

A guidebook created by Craig Wetzel, local artist, author and business owner, is available at the front desk of the Museum of Ceramics to provide more in-depth information on the historical documents in the “Printing Freedom From Boston to Fawcettstown” exhibit on display at the museum. (Photo by Kristi R. Garabrandt)

The “Printing Freedom From Boston to Fawcettstown” opened in April and will run at the Museum of Ceramics, 400 E. 5th St., through the end of the year and can be viewed during normal business hours of Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. from April through mid-December.