PARSIPPANY — Parsippany Historical and Preservation Society hosted a community reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., joining communities across Morris County and the nation in marking the 250th anniversary of the document’s first public reading.
The Reverend Don Bragg, pastor of Parsippany Presbyterian Church, opened the program with introductory remarks before the Declaration was read aloud in sections by a group of local officials, civic leaders, and residents.
Readers included Mayor Pulkit Desai of the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills, Parsippany Town Council President Judy Hernandez, Council Vice President Diya Patel, Andi Huber, regent of the Loantaka-Parsippanong Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Randolph Glowacki of the Parsippany Historical and Preservation Society, Julie Krajcsovics of Parsippany Presbyterian Church, Parsippany student Anirudh Rajiv, Parsippany resident Marcella O’Herlihy, Reverend Don Bragg, and Randy Tortorello, president of the Parsippany Historical and Preservation Society.
The Parsippany Historical and Preservation Society, which was incorporated on June 8, 1998, works with the township to preserve and interpret Parsippany-Troy Hills’ history, including operation of the Parsippany Museum, also known as the Bowlsby-DeGelleke House, on Baldwin Road, along with the Littleton Schoolhouse. The society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with open membership, meeting the third Wednesday of each month except in January, July, and August.
The reading was also supported by the Parsippany Historic Preservation Advisory Committee, established in 2003, which advises the Township Council, the Planning Board, and the Zoning Board of Adjustment on matters involving historic properties and the effects of projects and activities on those sites.
