PORTSMOUTH — Two hundred and forty-one years after it was adopted in Philadelphia, the Declaration of Independence was remembered this Fourth of July morning with a public reading outside the Portsmouth Free Public Library.

Fifteen people attended today’s ceremony, with each reading a passage from the 1,458-word document in which the 13 American colonies declared themselves no longer under British rule. 

“The Declaration of Independence was such an incredibly brave thing to do,” said local resident Anne Wagner, who started the tradition four years ago after learning about a similar event in Tiverton. 

“The Founding Fathers grabbed this opportunity to put this into action and not all of their fellow colonists felt the same way. But we got through it,” she said.

Mrs. Wagner, who reminded attendees that the town will display its own copy of the Declaration of Independence Thursday night, said having a public reading of the document was an ideal way to begin the Fourth of July holiday.

“It just seemed like the best way to start the day before the barbecue and the fireworks,” she said.