Original state charters on display at Pitt

Two original Pennsylvania charters are slated for display beginning February 27 at the University of Pittsburgh's (UP) Hillman Library,  part of the school's 225th anniversary commemoration which kicks off February 24 and continues through October. One charter, dated February 28, 1787 (top), led to the establishment of the progenitor of today's UP, the Pittsburgh Academy, in a small log house on the edge of the American frontier. The other, dated February 18, 1819, rechartered the school as the Western University of Pennsylvania. The charters arrived last December, somewhat torn and tattered, and were mended and cleaned by the University Library System's Department of Preservation. The content of both charters is available at documenting,pitt.edu.