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Revolutionary War-dated partly-printed receipt, one page, 7.5 x 3.25, July 4, 1776. Receipt acknowledging one ton of iron issued at Ringwood, New Jersey, on the day the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. In full: "Received 78 [bars] of Iron…which I promise to deliver to E. W. Kiers." A handwritten notation along the bottom indicates that the iron is "for Hallet the Chairmaker." Impressively double-matted and framed with a print of John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence painting and an engraved plaque to an overall size of 15.75 x 23. In fine condition, with light scattered staining.
Issued from the Ringwood Ironworks, one of the Continental Army's most important wartime iron suppliers, this remarkable receipt dates to one of the most consequential days in American history. Under the direction of Scottish-born ironmaster Robert Erskine, who the following year became George Washington's Geographer and Surveyor General, Ringwood furnished critical iron products for the Revolutionary cause and later supplied links for the massive Hudson River Chain stretched across the Hudson at West Point. The receipt is directed to Edward Wm. Kiers, a documented quartermaster in New Jersey's Revolutionary War forces, providing a direct connection to the American war effort. Revolutionary War documents bearing the iconic date of July 4, 1776, the day Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, are of the utmost rarity and remain among the most sought-after artifacts of the nation's founding.
