After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the Declaration was temporarily moved to heavily guarded Fort Knox in Kentucky for safekeeping. Secret Service agents escorted the Declaration on a train ride to the fort. In 1944 it was returned to the Library of Congress.
In 1951 the Declaration was placed in a thermopane enclosure filled with humidified helium. This protected it from both ultraviolet rays and air pollution.
The document, along with the Bill of Rights and the Constitution found their way to their present home in 1952. Twelve members of the Armed Forces Special Police carried the documents encased in helium-filled glass cases and wooden crates down the Library of Congress steps.
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After all of its travels, it's amazing that the Declaration has survived to be viewed today by tourists, Moeller says. "It's incredible."
