There’s an old and unique  piece of paper on exhibit in Austin that every Texan and every wanna be Texan should make a special trip to see.  It’s something no other state has.  It’s Texas’ very own Declaration of Independence.  It's one of a kind because Texas is the only state that was an independent nation before it joined the union.

The original March 1836 Texas Declaration of Independence, a document that makes Texas special among the nation's states, is getting a new home for a rare public appearance at the Lorenzo de Zavalla State Archives and Library Building, across the street from the Texas Capitol in Austin.

The library, across the street from the Texas Capitol, is finishing a $20 million renovation that includes cabinetry specifically designed to exhibit sensitive and aging historic documents such as the declaration and William Barrett Travis' famous letter from the Alamo that pleads for help but promises no surrender.

"We are the only state that was its own sovereign nation, so it's extremely unique in American history," state archivist Jelain Chubb said.  Sovereign nationhood didn't work out well for Texas, so it was annexed by the United States a decade later.

The only surviving original handwritten copy of this historic document will be on display in Austin through San Jacinto Day in late April.

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