SPOKANE, Wash. – The 1889 Washington state constitution will be displayed at the Spokane Public Library on Monday, marking the first time it has been shown in eastern Washington.
According to the Office of the Secretary of State and the Washington State Archives, the document will be on display from 3 to 5 p.m.
“It is our duty and obligation to the people of Washington to preserve and make accessible significant documents that helped shape our state and how we live our lives,” said Secretary of State Steve Hobbs. “Washingtonians will have the opportunity to connect with a formative piece of their history that they otherwise may not have had. We want to bring their history to them.”
The Secretary of State’s Office said this is the first time the state constitution has been taken to eastern Washington.
The document was created in 1889 by 75 delegates who drafted a constitution allowing Washington to pursue statehood. On Nov. 11, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison approved the constitution, and Washington became the 42nd state admitted to the United States.
When not displayed for special occasions, the state constitution is stored in a climate-controlled vault at the Washington State Archives on the Capitol Campus in Olympia and is not normally available for public viewing.
