Our nation began 250 years ago with the Declaration of Independence. But this is a story about the nation's most important document, the Constitution of the United States.
The Founding Fathers drafted the Constitution in 1787. However, a rare copy of the Constitution went missing until a man, who's now retired in Sierra Vista, stumbled across it.
"His eyes got wide and he said, 'Mike, I think we have something here,'" said Mike Munroe, recounting a moment he'll never forget.
It was 1989, and as a member of the Newbury Historical Society in New Hampshire, Munroe was sorting through state documents with his friend Tracy Messer.
"We were going through piles of documents," recalled Munroe. "They were all related to the state of New Hampshire, except for this one; and I pulled it out and it said U.S. Constitution, 1787."
Officials at the state archive had been looking for this document for decades, a very rare copy of the Constitution.
"Tracy says dumb luck," Munroe said. "But I mean, we knew enough to know that we needed to check it out."
The document did check out. It was a 1787 copy of the U.S. Constitution.
"There were 400 copies that were sent out for ratification," said Munroe.
He had discovered the only remaining copy in New Hampshire. They had been sent to each colony in 1787.
"They decided to have a ceremony to give it to the archives, and it just got to be a big deal," Munroe said.
A big deal for Mike Munroe and his wife Diane, who in 1989 were running a bed and breakfast in New Hampshire.
Fast forward to retirement. Mike and Diane moved to a ranch outside of Sierra Vista in 2017.
Now, just shy of turning 80, Mike has the acting bug. He has starred in several Westerns, including a film he also wrote called, Vengeance: A Tombstone Remembrance.
"People say you're living the dream," Munroe said. "Well, I never dreamed when I came out here that I'd be doing what I'm doing."
Just like he never dreamed he would find a rare copy of the U.S. Constitution.
Now, just in time for America's 250th birthday, the Newbury, New Hampshire Public Library hosted a dedication of a new display of that Constitution.
They have Mike Munroe and his friend Tom Messer to thank for realizing the document's value."
"This might be valuable," said Munroe. "Priceless, yes."
Munroe has several more roles coming up in Westerns, but he has no plans to find any more rare documents.
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Pat Parris is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. He is a graduate of Sabino High School where he was the 1982 high school state track champion in the 800 meters. While in high school and college, he worked part-time in the KGUN 9 newsroom. Share your story ideas and important issues with Pat by emailing pat.parris@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
