Karpeles Manuscript Library Museums, Museum and archive network throughout United States
The Karpeles Manuscript Library Museums form a network of ten locations across the United States, together holding the largest private collection of original historical documents in the world. The manuscripts on display cover a wide range of fields, from science and literature to politics and exploration.
David and Marsha Karpeles founded the institution in 1983, starting from a private collection they had built over many years. Rather than keeping the documents locked away, they chose to open them to the public by establishing dedicated museum spaces.
Each site occupies a restored historic building, so the setting itself adds meaning to the documents on display. Visitors often find that reading an original manuscript in a century-old room feels closer to the source than any reproduction could.
Because the collection rotates among the ten sites three times a year, it is worth checking which documents are currently on display at the nearest location before making the trip. Admission is free at all sites, so there is no need to plan around a budget.
The collection holds a first printing of the Ten Commandments from the 1455 Gutenberg Bible and Amelia Earhart's Certificate of Landing from her transatlantic flight. These are not reproductions but originals, available to anyone at no cost.
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