By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

Iowa’s Constitution was drafted and ratified in 1857 and the original document is now better protected.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is the official custodian of the original Iowa Constitution. “Being able to see this historic document first hand can create a powerful connection between our citizens and the document that establishes their fundamental rights and freedoms,” Pate said yesterday afternoon.

The Iowa Constitution had been on display in Pate’s Iowa Capitol office, inside a wooden and glass case made in the 1980s. The document now sits atop a new structure that has internal humidity and temperature controls. Clear acrylic panels screen out harmful UV rays that could damage the 168 year old paper the constitution is printed on. Pate hosted an unveiling of the display case — and the Constitution inside it — yesterday.

“I’m proud to present, for the first time, the new home for Iowa’s 1857 Constitution,” Pate said, to applause.

Pate’s office in the Iowa Capitol is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. ’til 4:30 in the afternoon, and he’s inviting Iowans to stop by for a look at Iowa’s founding document. “Just like you might feel moved seeing a handwritten letter between your grandparents or some old photos of your ancestors, seeing the actual document can help these pieces of history feel even more real and more meaningful,” Pate said.

The case has a couple of lower drawers for displaying other historical documents. One contains the land records of the Iowa farms President Abraham Lincoln owned.