From its mysterious and often mistaken origin to the damage it's endured over the centuries,
today we look at Secrets of the Statue of Liberty
Number 10.
Assembly Required The Statue of Liberty first arrived from France
to New York Harbor via steamship in 1885.
Considering the jaw-dropping, sheer size of the statue, it wasn't exactly fit to travel
by ship, and so it arrived split and divided up into a collection of crates.
As the parts of the great statue arrived, Americans gathered in droves at the port with
200 thousand people in attendance to welcome the great new beacon of freedom.
But it wasn't until 1886, after Lady Liberty was fully constructed, that President Grover
Cleveland presided over a massive dedication ceremony over land and sea, setting the precedent
for the first ticker tape parade in the process.
Number 9.
Bedloe's Island Long before the Statue of Liberty reached
its shores, the small bit of land it now occupies was known as Great Oyster Island.
The nearby tidal flats of the region were home to massive oyster beds that served as
a main food source of the region for almost three centuries!
The island would eventually be gifted by an English governor in 1664 to a British Captain,
who then went on to sell it to one Isaac Bedloe.
It was henceforth known as Bedloe's Island and served a variety of uses over the next
century as private property.
The island would continue to change hands over the years, sometimes operating as a farm
or hunting grounds, and even being utilized as a smallpox quarantine station.
But during the American Revolution, British forces would attempt to use the island to
house Tory sympathizers, but after the dust settled in 1776, the island's structures were
burnt down.
In their stead, the US Army erected Fort Wood, which would go on to serve as the base of
the Statue of Liberty.
The name of the landmass would eventually be changed to Liberty Island by Congress in
1956.
Number 8.
Impressive Skeleton While the Statue of Liberty astounds visitors
daily with its great, green majestic exterior, the true marvel of this American landmark
is its stabilizing interior.
Composed of iron, this multilevel skeleton supports the statue at its center.
When they were built, these pillars formed the largest freestanding iron structure on
Earth.
But this title would be eventually passed on to the taller and equally regal Eiffel
Tower, a spiritual sibling to the Statue of Liberty thanks to their shared designer Gustave
Eiffel.
This sturdy foundation kept the statue upright for decades until, in 1980, Lady Liberty received
a major renovation.
Slowly, but surely, the workers fixing up the statue replaced each piece of the puddled
iron skeleton in 1 to 2 foot long segments.
Along with stabilizing the interior, the renovations also included new lighting, easier interior
access, and the installment of a modern elevator!
Number 7.
Unwanted Gift Many believe the Statue of Liberty arrived
stateside as a gift from France in support of democracy, liberty, and independence.
But this myth is far from the truth with the concept, construction, and execution being
driven by a single individual: Auguste Bartholdi , sculptor extraordinaire.
The famed french artist is responsible for a number of popular works and monuments across
the country, but the Liberty Enlightening the World, or Statue of Liberty as it came
to be known, is by far his crowning achievement.
He funded its design himself, raising money any way he could, going so far as to convince
the French government to hold a lottery to pay for the would-be American statue.
But once it was finished and Bartholdi offered it to the United States under the condition
they provide a pedestal for it to stand, the federal government took offense.
With the US not wanting to pay for such a gift, the future of the statue was stuck in
limbo.
Luckily, American press mogul Joseph Pulitzer came to the rescue, organizing the first crowdfunding
campaign in using newspapers to convince the public to donate in support of the required
pedestal, and printing their names as donors in exchange!
Number 6.
Lighting The Way Before the many pieces of the Statue of Liberty
made it to American soil, the arm and torch were shipped state side by boat from Paris
to New York.
As the future of the monument was still in question, the torch was put to use.
It first went to Philadelphia in 1876 as an attraction at the World's Fair in Fairmount
Park.
Visitors were able to pay a fee of fifty cents each to climb to the torch's balcony with
all money raised going towards finding and building a home for the statue.
Bartholdi was in attendance for this exhibition, looking after his masterpiece and witnessing
its reception live.
From there, the torch went back to New York where it went on display in Madison Square
Park between 1876 and 1882.
It remained a source of fundraising until the statue's pedestal was financially secured
and the rest of the statue made its journey across the Atlantic.
Number 5.
Freemason Connection Aside from the false legend of the monstrous
sage monument being a gift from France, another mythos surrounds the Statue of Liberty with
a bit more suspicious connotation.
Theorists believe the creators of the statue, Bartholdi and Eiffel, held membership with
the Freemasons and that they subtly included hints at such within the landmark itself.
Even the original name, Liberty Enlightening the World, spoke to one of the major tenants
of the Freemasons: enlightenment.
Many of the leaders during the Enlightenment era were Freemasons, and this secret society
has been given much of the credit for bringing liberalism and democracy to Europe as a whole
between the 18th and 20th centuries.
If this wasn't enough evidence to connect Freemasonry to the statue, in 1884 a connection
was made seemingly apparent.
Freemason grand master William A Brodie presided over the laying of the cornerstone at the
Statue of Liberty in a ceremony among fellow lodge members.
Of the moment and the Mason's involvement, Brodie said: "Why call upon the Masonic Fraternity
to lay the cornerstone of such a structure as is here to be erected?
No institution has done more to promote liberty and to free men from the trammels and chains
of ignorance and tyranny than has Freemasonry."
This moment was celebrated a century later with the installment of a plaque at the base
of the monument.
Number 4.
Damage Control In 1916, a group of German spies attacked
the munitions facility at Black Tom Island, setting off a catastrophic explosion that
affected buildings across the region and could be heard as far away as Maryland.
Bunches of dynamite bound for English and French forces was being prepared for shipment
when the spies sabotaged the explosives.
Thousands of windows from buildings across the city shattered in the wake of the blast
and seven lives were lost.
Less than a mile away from the compound explosion, the Statue of Liberty shook and shuttered
as shrapnel impacted into the head, arm, and torch.
The total damage to the statue was fairly minor in comparison to other parts of the
region, though repair costs ended up totaling nearly 100 thousand dollars...the equivalent
to 2.3 million dollars today.
Of the damage sustained, the torch bearing arm took the brunt of it.
For public safety reasons, the interior path to the torch was closed following this incident
and remains so to this day.
Number 3.
Muse Confusion Millions of people look at the Statue of Liberty
daily, whether they be looking directly at it or at some sort of representation of it
in popular media.
As such, the face of the Mother of Freedom has become recognizable by many.
But whose face is it really?
One account tells of a meeting between Bartholdi and French Senator Jules Bozerian at an opera
house in which the sculptor confessed the identity of his muse.
When the senator reached Bartholdi's box, as the story goes, he parted the curtain to
find a real, living version of the statue before his very eyes.
Responding to the senator's astonishment, Bartholdi supposedly told him "But do you
know who this lady is?
She's my mother."
However, in 2014, a different truth was proposed when French writer Nathalie Salmon claimed
her ancestor Sarah had been Bartholdi's inspiration, giving details in her book "Lady Liberty I
Love You."
The story goes that Sarah Salmon's husband, Adolphe , had made a fortune in California
before meeting the famous sculptor in his travels.
The couple visited Paris and met with Bartholdi at his studio, at which time the artist was
so awestruck by her features that he incorporated them in his work.
At the end of the day, however, the truth may never be known as to what woman really
inspired such an iconic symbol of freedom.
Number 2.
Intercontinental Replicas Within the United States, the Statue of Liberty
has grown to iconic prominence as a symbol of everything the USA stands for.
It's earned a litany of nicknames over the years with Americans affectionately referring
to her as America's Freedom, the Green Goddess, the Mother of Exiles, the Spirit of American
Independence and many more patriotic titles.
But outside of the states, this world-renowned structure has many dopplegangers...though
at a fraction of the size.
The original model for the Statue of Liberty can be found within the Luxembourg Gardens
in Paris.
Not far from there, on the manmade island atop the Seine [Senn] River, another incarnation
sits on display in commemoration of the French Revolution.
But these smaller versions aren't exclusive to France, with many Statue of Liberty sculptures
sitting atop the roof of the Brooklyn Museum.
Modern editions have appeared too, with a Lego version and a deconstructed art project
placing these Statues of Liberty right around Times Square.
Number 1.
Almost Gold Prior to becoming the great green lady in
the water, the Statue of Liberty was actually copper.
Chemical reactions with the environment eventually developed into a layer of patina, giving the
great patriotic structure a more verdant hue.
But this effect was almost avoided entirely when sculptor Auguste Bartholdi considered
coating the statue in a layer of gold!
He had hoped for the statue to double as a lighthouse, but attaining the brightness needed
to operate as such proved troublesome, giving birth to the extravagant notion of a gilded
exterior.
The price of such an endeavor would have been insanely expensive, and raising funds just
to place the statue in New York Harbor was tough enough.
As such, that plan never came to fruition.