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STATUE of LIBERTY 

ational Monument 

s Origin, Deuelopment, 

and Administration 

UNITED STATES 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

NATIONAL PARIC SERVICE 
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STATUE OF LIBERTY 

tiATIONAL MONUMENT 

Its Origin, Devel opment 

and Administration 

by 

Walter Hugins 

United States 

Department of the Interior 

National Park Service 

1958 

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"f'hr rw'*r1Y """J"""I'd SUI•..- t1l Libfrry t.i..Uidt hi ~ I' .. • l'Uoll ,,,..,J ul fill tlil • ''"J""' '\1n11 r ll~••l••ldt IU llfM.1 

a ,.....r hri'<oti" hrt o~li'""' '-'• !hr U H. (riMTNI av VloiT0 ""-••) ••• ,.. lftllff' P•• lllfN (rJocn '"'"""•' p 11 wr tn1101ft 

~ 12H.U4 .LU HH3 19~a 

S I alii•• 0 r L l be r• I V Nal 1 on a) 

Monumenl tl• ortKtn, devP 

lopmenl and admtntslratton 

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CONTENTS 

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Introduction . . . . . . . . . . 1 

•• From Beacon to National Monument: 1886 to 1924 1 

A National Shrine: 1924 to the Present • • • • • 36 

Mission 66 . • . . . . . . . . . . . 85 

Notes • • • • • • • • • t • • • • • • • • 86 

Bibliography • . • • • . • • . . • . . . . • • 102 

' Appendice~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 

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N1gbt V1ev o! the Statue o! Liberty. 
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INTRODUCTION 

The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World was conceived and designed as a monwnent to a great international 

friendship, but with the passage of time its significance 

has broadened. It has become one of the most symbolic 

structures in the United States • Not only to Americans, but 

to the whole wor1.d, the Statue is the recognized s;ymbol of 

those ideals of human liberty upon which our Nation and its 

Government were founded. Created a National Monument in 

1924 and added to the National Park System in 1933, the 

Statue of Liberty is unique among the historic areas a.dministered by the National Park Service--it neither commemo~ 

rates a special event nor memorializes an historical personage . It is a monUJT.ent to an idea. 

The Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty Island, in the 

upper l)ay of New York harbor. For the greater part of its 

history this island was called Bedloe' s Island after its 

first owner, Isaack Bedloo. ~en, on August 3, 1956, by a 

joint resolution of the 84th Congress, the name was changed 

to Liberty Island to assure "that the Statue of Liberty • • 

be accorded a settl.ng =st approprl.ate ror the great shrine 

of the American people . . .. 1 Both names are used in this 

narrative, as determined by the historical context. 

Liberty Island is approximately 3/8 land miles east of 

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the New Jersey shore and l~ land miles southwest o£ Manhattan Island. AJ.though geographically in the territorial 

waters o£ New Jersey, lying west o£ the interstate boundary 

at the middle o£ the Hudson River channel, this island o£ 

l2,)acres above the mean low water mark is politically in 

New York, pursuant to an interstate compact o£ 1834; by this 

agreement, New Jersey retains riparian rights to all the 

submerged land around the island.2 

The history o£ Bedloe 1 s Island be£ore 1886, when the 

Statue of Liberty .was dedicated, was generally uneventful 

and relatively unimportant, for it acquired sign1£icance . 

only w1 th the erection of the symbolic monument. In the 

immediate prehistoric period, New York Bay and its is~ands 

were the territory of a group of the Mohegan Indians called 

the M::>natons or Manhattans. 3 This great natural harbor vas 

entered and described in 1524 by Verrazzano, an Italian explorer sailing for the King of France, but the really significant discovery of the bay vas made in 1609 by Henry 

Hudson, an Englishman sailing for the Dutch $ast India 

Company. Hudson 1 s explorations led to the ·first Dutch 

settlement on ~attan Island in 1§2o.4 

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Following English seizure of the area in 1664, t he small 

island hereto£ore known as.Oyster Island was granted to 

I.ssack Bedloo, a former burgher of New Amsterdam. From that 

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time unti.l 1956, the island's name was spelled variously 

Bedlow' s, Bedloe, and :finally Bedloe' s. Bedloo 's heirs sold 

the island in 1732, and i t passed throue;)l several hands be-

:fore being purchased by the City o:f New York in 1759 :for a 

quarantine station and pesthouse. 5 

Early-in the War :for American Independence , a:fter the 

British had seized it :for use as a re:fuge :for Tories, a 

group of patriots raided the island and burned i t s buil dings. 6 A few months later, :following Washington's retreat 

across the ·Hudson River into New Jersey, New York City and 

its harbor were occupied by the British, who remained unt il 

the war' s end in 1783. After the Revolution, Bedloe ' s 

Island was once again used by the city as a quarantine sta- · 

t i on, althoue;)l leased between epidemics to various New York 

citizens: From 1793 t o 1796 the French Fleet, then in 

American waters, was given the use o:f the island :for an 

isolation station and hospit al, after whi~h it was conveyed 

to the State for a lazaretto or pesthouse.7 

At about the saine time, the New York Legislature took 

steps ~o· improve the defenses o:f New York harbor by undertaking the construction of fortifications on the islands in 

the bay. Little was accomplished by the State, so on 

February 15, 18o0, the Legislature ceded Bedloe's Island, 

along with Ellis and Governors Islands, to the United States 

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Government for t he proposed Federal defense establishment.8 

Construction of a land battery, in the shape of an 11-point 

star, was begun in 1806 and completed 5 years la~er, in 

conjunction with the building of Fort Columb~ {later Fort 

Jay) and Castle Williams on Governors Island, Fort Gibson on 

Ellis Island, and Castle Clinton at the Battery on Manhattan 

Island .. · These fortifications were manned througnou:t the War 

of 1812, the Bedloe 's Island battery being named Fort Woo.d 

1n 1814 to honor a hero of the defense of Fort Erie .9 During the next 70 years; Fort Wood served variously as a Corps 

of Artillery garrison, ordnance depot, quartennaster depot, 

hospit al, and recruiting station; it bee~ increasin~y inactive during this long period of international peace.l0 

Meanwhile, the idea of the Statue of Liberty was ~e1.ilg 

born. The historian Edouard de Laboulaye and other French 

liberals in 1865 first suggested the building o~ a monument 

in t he United States to commemorate the winning of its independence with the aid of France, to be a cooperative undertaking by the two countries. A young Alsatian sculptor 1 

Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, was an enthusiastic member of 

this group, and a few years later he visited America to discuss the proposal there . Upon entering New York harbor, 

Bartholdi immediately visualized a majesti~ statue to represent "Liberty Enlightening the World," emphasizing not only 

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the friendship but the common heritage of the t '·ro Nat ions . 

This conception uas o.d.opted and conunittees to implement it 

;re1·e org~mized in both countries . It was agreed that the 

French people would finance the building of the Statue and 

the American people the construction of the pedestal upon 

;rhich it .v/Ould stand. After Congressional approval of th,e 

proposed Statue, Bedloe 's Island was selected, in accordance 

with Bartholdi's 'iish, as the site of the monument, which 

was to be erected in the center of old Fort Wood.11 

The response of the people of France ,.,as enthusiastic, 

but apathy characterized the American reaction. Although 

the completed Statue vras presented to the American Ambassador on July 4, 1884, and preparations were made to ship it 

to the United States, lack of funds brought work on the 

pedestal to a halt, with only 15 feet of the structure completed. In this emergency, Joseph Puli tzer and the New 

.York World begsn a crusade for contributions, which in less 

than 5 months resulted in the collection of $100,000 . The 

total cost of the Statue and pedestal was more than $500,000, 

all of which was contributed by popular subscription vithout assistance from either Government. On October 28, 1886, 

the Statue of Liberty was dedicated with impressive ceremonies in >rhich dignitaries of both countries participated . 

Bartholdi, in the torch some 300 feet above t he harbor, 

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pulled the TOpe thnt removed the French Tricolor from 

Liberty's face. President Grover Cleveland, accepting the 

monument on behalf of the people of the United States, solemnly promised: "\(e will not forget that Liberty has here 

made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neg1ected."l2 

The purpose of the following account is to sho'll ho'll 

America has kept faith with that promise . 

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Constru.ction ot the pedeatal, early 1886. From a 

sketch 1n Lealie's Weekly. 
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Tbe Statue and the vestern end o~ Bedl.oe'a Iala:ld in Aprll 1933, shortly be~ore 

the lfational Park Servic::e took over edmini at ration ~m the War Department. 

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FROM BEACON 'ID NATIONAL M:>NUMENT: 1886 'ID 1924 

The story of the Statue of Liberty from 1886, 'When it 

was dedicated, · to 1924, when it became a National Monument, 

is largely a chronicle of confusion. The United States had 

accepted Bartholdi's brainchild, but there was no agreement 

as to 'What was to be done with it. Was it an aid to navigation or a monument of art, a beacon or a shrine? Was it 

primarily a monument to Franco-American friendship, or did 

it have a deeper, more symbolic significance? Did Congress 

have an obligation to protect and maintain it, or was it to 

be ignored and forgotten like the statue of a local hero in 

the to= square? 

Bartholdi's interest in his creation had not ended with 

its presentation and dedication. He continued to write his 

American friends, offering suggestions for improving the 

lighting and expressing ·the hope that his masterpiece would 

eventually be gilded, as he had originally planneq.1 Upon 

visiting New. York again before his death in 1904, he made 

known his disappointment that nothing more had been done 

with this "ideal National park." He had grandiose plans for 

the Statue and "Liberty Island," a,; he called i ·t even then, 

best stated ih an interview in 1890 With the Paris correspondent of the New York World: 

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I always hoped that Americans would see the 

spl endid use that is to be made of· that island 

as I see it •• . • . the American race has a poetry of · its own, which few, the Americans least of all, 

see--poetry in the cohesion into one mighty 

mass of elements so widely diverse, poetry in 

the worlt they have achieved· in the creation of 

a nation--a work unparalleled in the history 

of the ~rorld. 

• . . Liberty Island is obviously destined 

to be made into a pleasure ground for the soul 

of the American people, a place of pilgrimage 

for citizens of t he whole nation, a National 

museum of the glories and memories of the 

United States ••. ,2 

Few· shared Ba.rtholdi's vision, for during these years 

Congressmen, like the great majority of the American people, 

were too deeply concerned with more fundamental problems and 

events to be greatly interested 1n a statue in New York har~ 

bor, or in its essential sign:il.ficance • These were the years 

of the Panic of 1893, the Cross of Gold speech, "Remember 

the Maine," TR and the Big Stick, the New Freedom, and the 

"war to make the world safe for democracy." Only gradually 

did the realization come that Liberty Enlightening the ·World 

was an appropriate symbol of the spirit that had produced 

' . the greatest and most idealistic democracy• in the world. 

Even more slowly and reluctantly was +t admitted that Con-

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gress and the American people had. an obligation to protect 

and maintain this great shrine' for the enjoyment and inspiration of future generations·. 

Congressional responsibility for the Statue of Liberty 

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was first accepted in 1877, but throughout the encuing decades thie responGibili ty was exercised only sporadically and , 

without agreement as to what it entailed. Largely as the 

result of lobbying by William M. Evarts of New York, chairman of the American Committee for the Statue of Liberty and 

a prominent Republican politician, a Joint resolution was 

introduced in Congress on February 22, unanimously passed by 

both Houees, and signed by President Grant on March 3, 1877, 

the last day of his tenn of office. The resolution, in 

accepting the gift from France, authorized the President to 

"designate and set apart a site" for the Statue upon either 

Governors or Bedloe ' s Island, and to " cause suitable regulationa to be made for its future maintenance as a beacon, and 

for the pennanent care and preservation thereof as a menument of art and of the continued good will of the great nation which aided us in our strusgl.e for freedom. " The 

resolution contained, of course, no mention of appropriationa, present or future; Senator Cameron of Pennsylvania, 

'Who introduced it and urged favorable action by the UPPCr 

House, hastened to assure his colleagues that "it costs no 

money. "3 

Seven years later, wen the American Committee was about 

to admit failure in raising the necessary money for the 

pedestal, Evarts tried to obtain financial help from Con9 
gress, persuading President Arthur to ouggest an appropriation for t he pedestal in his annual message . The Senate ineluded $100,000 for this purpose in the deficiency bill, but 

the item was killed in conference by the House conferees.

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At this juncture, fortunately, Pulitzer's ~lorld entered the 

pict ure and ensured the erection of the pedestal. 

As the time approached for the dedication of the 

Statue, another effort was made to obtain Federal funds, not 

as a gift to a private organization but as an appropriation 

to carry out the intent and purpose of the 1877 resolution. 

Evarts, now a United States Senator, directed the strategy 

and was at l east partially successful. On Apr11 .27, 1886, 

a letter from the American Committee was sent to the Secreta.ry of State informing him of the Statue's tmminent completion, suggesting a dedication date , and incidentally 

mentioning certain expenses incurred by the committee in 

caring for the French gift. Tbe letter was effective, for 

President Cleveland's message to Congress 2 weeks later conta..ined the following statement: 

• . • I recommend the appropriation of such 

sum of money as in the judf!1Dent of Congress shall 

be deemed adequate and proper t o defray the cost 

of the inauguration of tills statue • 

I have been informed by the committee that 

certain expenses have been incurred in the care 

and custody of the statue since• it was deposited 

on Bedloe • s Island, an'd the phraseology of the 

joint resolution . • , would seem to include the 

payment by the United States of the expense so 

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incun·ed ::;incc the reception of' the sta.tue 

in this country . . . . 5 

On July 1, ''hen the Houuc wo.o conaidednG the Sundry 

Civil Appropriation Bill, an runend.111ent ua.s submitted by the 

chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Randall of 

Pennsylvania . It ca1led for the payment of $47,000 to the 

American Comnittee, 'nth this itemization: committee expenses, $15,000; expenses for the dedication ceremonies, 

~4,000; entertainment of official French guests, $9 ,000; 

clearing grounds of the island and removing unsightly 

structures, $3,000; repairing \lharf, $2, 500; electriclight plant and elevator in pedestal, $13 , 500 . Representative Hewitt of New York proposed a substitute amendment increaa1ne the appropriation to *106,100, baaed upon the est i -

mate submitted by General Stone , engineer of the American 

Committee. Tb.is amendment called for $5 ,000 for clearing 

the island, $16,000 for building a new concrete and masonry 

wharf instead of r epairing the old one , $2 , 500 for refreshments for 500 guests, $15 ,000 for ari electric-ligbt plant, 

$7,200 for the elevator, and $26, 400 for "connecting arches 

betlteen walls of fort and foundation mass of pedestal. " The 

other items were unchanged. 6 

In the debate that follmred, "Silver Dick" Bl and of 

Missouri, a spokesman for \·/estern agrarian interests, led the 

opposition, protesting that the only authorization in the 

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1877 resolution \IO.S "for its future maintena.nce as a beacon 

and not for a celebration." "We have no authority," he insisted, "to waste the public :funds to provide for o.n ino.ugu-

. ration and good time for the citizens of New York." Hewitt 

replied that the ceremonies were "specifically authorized" 

by the resolution, which "imposed e. duty upon the President 

of the United States," and added that to date there had been 

no cost to the Federal Government for the Statue . He emphasized t'urther that "it is not a local matter" for "the honor 

of the United States Government vas involved . " When the 

vote vas taken, even though. Hewitt had removed the $2,500 

i tern for re:freshments, his amendment vas defeat·ed by the 

narrow margin of three votes.7 

Three weeks later the bill reached the Senate , where 

the Appropriations Committee inserted a clause to provide 

$561 500 f or the ceremonies and other expenses . Senator 

Evarts, in a final atteli1Pt to obtain the amount in stone's 

estimate, then presented an amendment for the additional 

$49,6oo. Although. admitting that the lesser amount vas 

"ample for the purposes asked," he explained that t he additione.l amount "is not connected with any immediate necessity 

for the inauguration, but is included within what is manifestly a proper duty and necessity .. . to the Government's 

own care of its own island." He concluded: 

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. . the point is that for this inauguration 

this island should be certainly put in the 

condition 'Which soon and necessarily it must 

be put by the Government for the fitness of 

things and the demands of public opinion and 

by visitors who shall resort to the island. 

Senator Allison of Iowa disagreed, pointing out that this 

"involves the idea of ornamentation and beautification," 

and that such an expenditure "can be made at any tilne in 

the future." Evarts' amendment was tabled, and the bill, 

as passed by both Houses and signed on August 5, 1886, by 

President Cleveland, appropriated $56,500 for the Statue of 

L1berty.8 

The committee made no accounting to Congress on how the 

money was spent. But it appears that the dedication expenees were b1S)l.er thon expected, fo~· notbins we.a avtd.lable 

for an electric-lil!Pt plant, an elevator, or "connecting 

arches" between the fort and the pedestal.. Evarts expressed 

no disappointment with the result of his efforts, writing 

Richard Butler 1 treasurer of the American Committee 1 that 

"everything asked for by the Coi1Jll1ttee ... for the purposes 

of expenses in care of the Statue and of the Island . • • 

[f.if included in the awn allO\fed . . . excepting the sum of 

2 1 500 dollars for Refreshments etc." The other eliminated 

items, he added, were "lett for the U.S. either to be 

attended to or still neglected as the Government -y determine . u9 During the next 20 years the Statue was l.argely · 

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neglected' by Congres's. The approprio.tion of 1886 '(o.s not .· 

regarded as ·a precedent; and, with the ~xception o:r about . . . . 

$25 '000 fcir. a l ighting pl~t- '· 'u was. mainta:i!led, like most 

other fe_derally ~~med}tr~ctures ' from general d:e~artmental 

apJ?.~P~i~tions. 

The Statue. of .Libe;ty, after its dedication, ~ras 

o:fficially under the control and jurisdiction of the .United ' • • • • • • • • 1 

States Government, but it had to be determined what agency • J ' ' ; . . . ~. . . . . 

would. admini,ster it. ;rn the course of the previous summer' s . · .

. congressional debate, a letter had been produced from the . . 

Treasury Department, stating that "it has been assumed that • ~: I ' • : ' • • , . ' • 

eventually this statue •. . . would be p.l,.aced under the con-

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trol of the l ight-house esta~lishment," but that the Light- . . . . . 

House B~a~ could not take juri~diction without express . 

authorization.10 By his order of Nov~mber 16, 1886, Presi- .. . ' . . . 

dent Cleveland dire,cted ·that the Stat ue be placed "'Ullder . the 

care and superintendence of the Light- House Board, and that . . it be from henceforth maintained by s aid Board as a beacon .•ill 

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Congress ha~ing failed to provide funds for the instal- .. . 

lation an~ maintenance of a lighting system before the dedicati on, the Am~rican Committee fortunately obtained the dona- i' • . 

tion of an electric plant and li_ght ing equipment for the .. ~ . . . . 

torch and contracted for the ·operation of the plant until a 

,(eek after the dedicat ion. Lt . John Milli s of t he Army 

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Engineers, electrical expert for the Third Light-House 

District, Has desi~ated to superintend the lighting. Because of lack of funds and confusion regarding jurisdiction, 

the torch '4as not lighted from November 7 to November 22 1 

the daie on 1mich the Light-House Board officially took 

charge of the Statue. Early in 1887 about 1 acre in the 

north\/est part of the military reservation, by agreement between the Secretaries of War and the Treasury, was set aside. 

as a lighthouse reserve, and a brick hospital building there 

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was fit ted up for the light keeper. 

The Statue was lighted with 14 arc lamps, 9 ih the 

torch and 5 in the salient angles of the fort, po\/ered by a 

steam dynBJllO, but this system was intended only as a temporary·expedient. In addition, considerable work remained to 

be done to finish the interior of the pedestal and improve 

the surroundings of the Statue • In the hope of accomplishing some of these objectives, the Light-House Board presented a request to Congress on Februar,y 4, 1887, for an 

appropriation of $32,500 for a permanent lighting plant, 

erection of buildings and wharf, and other necessary expenses. A fe"' weeks later the Sundry Civil. Appropriation 

Bill. was passed, containing an allotment of $19,500 for the 

Statue of Liberty, most of which \ofllS earmarked for a new 

lighting plant.l3 A plan was dra~ up by Lieutenant Mi1lis 

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which, it wns declared, would make the torch "one of the 

most powerful fixed lig)lts in the world . . . ffiu!IJ intended 

more for the purpose of enhancing the grandeur of the statue 

than as an aid to navigation. ul 4 

In succeeding years minor repairs and · improvements \/ere 

made in the lighting system, and a double spiral stairca.ee 

was installed in the Statue . Congress in 1890 appropriated 

$5,250 for completing the electric plant, but other repairs 

had to be financed from general Light-House Board funds; 

the annual expense of maintaining this installation, including salaries, was about $7,500 during this period .

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1892 , Maj. David Heap, Engineer of the Third Light-House 

District, conducted experiments in an effort to improve the 

~1@tlting system, largt:l.y bo::cause of' agitation by the New 

York World . The Statue, as e. result, displayed e. flaming 

torch, a red, white, and blue flashing diadem, and an .illumined face , but the 1nno:-ration was discontinued after a 

she~ t:l.me.16 In 1898, oil was substituted :for coal as fuel 

for the electric-generating plant, reducing operating costs, 

and stone was taken from the fort gun platforms to reJ?air 

the seawal1.17 Meanwhile, a fruitless request had been made 

annually since 1888 for an appropriation of $50,000 to complete the Statue pedestal,18 and in 1894 it .was believed for 

a time that the lighting would have to be discontinued be16 

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cause Congress had re:fu.sed to increose the Light-House Board 

appropriation.19 

Tbe problem of the operation and control of the Statue 

of Liberty during this period wos complicated by the fact 

that three agencies had an interest in it. Tbe Army controlled the nilitary reservation occupying most of the island and performed guard fUnctions around the Statue; the 

L1@l1t-House Board maintained the light and to some extent 

the Statue and pedestal; and a Citizens Committee, successor 

to Evarts' American Conmittee, kept the Statue open to the 

public and provided ferry service from New York. According 

to an advertisement in the Nev York World in 1887, 

. . • Steamers leave Barge office Battery, 

on the hour, 9 A. M. to 5 P. M. Sundays, 9 A. M. 

to 6 P. M., and half hourly after l P . M. , if' it 

is not rainy. Ro=d trip, 25¢. Children under 

9 years free. One-half of the fare is applied 

to the Statue Fund for beautifying and completing 

the work on the Island.20 

This operation, after losing money at first, was financially success:f'ul for a decade after the dedication, Al· 

though statistics for this period are meager, 88,000 people 

visited the Statue in 1890, and the committee reported receipts of $101 000 in excess of expenses during the previo\!.8 

sl.lll:tDCr; by 1894 the c~mm1ttee had $6o,OOO in its treasury.2l 

Despite thi.s prosperity, no evidence has been fo.und that any · 

money liaS spent for ''beautification" or improvements at the 

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Stntue, poosibly because of committee friction with the Army 

and the Lig)lt-llouse Board, particularly the 1atter.22 The 

cost of the committee operation in 19021 probably typical 

for the wbole period, was $13,6o4, of \lhich amount steamer 

· costs were $10,000 and the rest wages of a superintendent at 

the Statue, a watchmen, and tw ticket agents; occasional repairs· and painting were additional expenses.

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was also paid, \lhich in 1898 was protested as excessive; 

city authorities retaliated with an unsuccessful attempt to 

force the committee to obtain a franchise as a ferry rather 

than as an excursion operation.24 From the midnineties on, 

the committee apparently lost money, due to a combination of 

increasing costs and decreasing income; in 1902 there were 

only 44, 000 v1s1tort1 ~o ·the Statue and ¢.40 1 000 in the treo.o -

ury, which was being rapidly depleted .25 

During the early history of t he Statue of Liberty, an 

effort to add a fUrther complicating factor to Bedloe's 

Island was forestalled, largely by the agitation of the New 

York Worl.d. Early in 1890 the Federal Government assumed 

control of the immigrant traffic 1 formerly regulated by the 

States. Therefore 1 a search began for a successor to Castle 

Garden, the New York immigrant landing depot since 1855, 

which was scheduled to close April. 18. On February 281 

Secretary of the Treasury Windom, after making a study of 

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available sites in the New York area, announced that 

Bedloe's Island, since it was already Federal property, had 

been selected by the Government for this purpose . The 

World, calling this "An Order to Desecrate, " protested 

vigorously that "Liberty Island," as they called it, "was 

to he.ve been made into a beautiful park as a fit setting for 

the great statue," but now "it is to be converted instead 

into a Babel:"26 

In a series of' editorials and articles during the following veeks the newspaper continued its attack, attempting 

to arouse a popular protest by pointing out that contributiona had been made to the pedestal fund 5 years before in 

the belief that the 'Whole island had been "by act of Congress 

perpetually and exclusively" set aside for the Statue. The 

World maintained that 

The National Government has been shamefully 

indifferent to the great monument of Liberty 

from the first. It has never done anything 

for it except to light it. 

Furthermore, the paper pointed out, there were many other 

more convenient sites for the 1trm1.grant station, some of 

them, like Governors or Ellis Island, also owned by the 

Federal Government. Congress was u:rg"d to "pass an act 

putting the beautiful little island out of the reach of 

political schemers and diverting it perpetuall.y to a pleasure- ground for the people . "27 

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A week after the World's campaign began, Congress took 

action. Congressman !cAdoo of New Jersey, declaring that 

"'Miss Liberty' is _a Jex:sey girl," called for the appointment of a Spec~al Joint Committ~e to investigate the whole 

question of an immigrant station. Th~ . Senate, in concurring 

with the House resolution, w~nt further, for Senator 

McPherson of New Jersey proposed that the Navy powder magazine on Ellis Island be removed as a hazard to the citizens 

of his Stat.e and the immigrant depot be located there instead.28 The Joint Committe~, after hearing testimony from 

Secretary Windom in Washington, arrived in New York on 

March 21 ~o study the situation on the ground. As a result, legislation was passe~, and. signed by President 

Harrison on April 11, appropriating funds "to improve Ellis 

Island for immigration purposes," and Bedloe 's Isl9n:d was 

saved.29 Att~mpting to go further in safeguarding the 

Statue, the Senate considered a ·resolution which provided: 

That the Secretary of War is hereby authorized and 

-directed to control, use, and improve the whole of 

Bedloe's Island •.. as ·a ·free public 'park, and 

to allow the access of visitors to said island 

und"er such limitations, rules~.· and regulations as 

said Secretary may deem expedien~ and necessary. , 

This r esoluti9.n died in committee,. however, after several 

members objected that it would commit Congress to future 

, :· 

appropriations and that _it ·w_ould be a "dangerous precedent . . . 

• • • to furnish to tbe people of New York a public park and 

20 

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pleasure ground."30 

The complicated administration of the island vas partially simplified in 1902, when by Presidential directive 

"the care and control;' of the Statue was transferred from 

the Light-House Board· tO' the Army. Tlits change was the result of dissatisfaction by all parties, with the War Department taking the initiative • . on June 30, 1901, Maj. A. c. 

Taylor, Post Commander of Fqrt WoOd·; reporting on conditions 

on the island, declared that "inside and out, the statue of 

Liberty • . . is a distinct disgi-ace to our country." Condemning both the Light-Holwe Board and the Cit~zens Committee , he · found "no evidence that either money or work have 

been expended" since the Statue's dedication 15 years before, 

and saw not only little hope of improvement with a continuation of the joint jurisdiction but the possibility that "this 

grand work of Art" would steadily deteriorate. 

In response to Secretary of War Root's formai request 

for transfer of jurisdiction, Secretary of the Treasury 

Gage, a~tting ·that the Statue "has no value. as a light to 

the Light-House Establishment, " and that it was a financial 

burden to his department, agreed to cooperate with the War 

Department i~ inducing the 'President to make the change . 31 

President Theodore Roosevelt signed the order Decemoer 30, 

1901, and ori the following March 1, despite newspaper pro21 
tests, the torch liB)lt was discontinued; specula;tion even 

arose that under the nc~ ~egime the Statue might be closed 

to vi~itoro.32 Finally, after some discussion, arrangements . . 

were made by the .War Department to continue lighting the 

Statue . The Secretary of the Treasury countermanded his 

order to remove the electric plant from the island and the 

Secretary of War ordered the torch to be lighted as p~ of 

the .lighting of the m1li tary post. This was done on the 

night of April 23, as the New York Tribune headlined, 

"Liberty's Torch Again Shines . "33 

At ~his time .the matter of' financial support for the 

Statue of Liberty again came before Congress. Repres~nt!itive 

Sulzer: of Ne:w York .. offered an amendment to the Sundry C_ivil 

Appropriation .Bill to provi~ $50,000 for "the proper care I 

and suitable lighting'.' of the Statue . ".The ligllt from .. 

Liberty's torch," he declared, "should not be put out. It 

is essential to commerce, put more than that, it represents 

a patriotic sentiment that should never be extinguished." 

But the Statue was not yet the. cherished national symbol 

that it is today. The. average citizen, if he thought about 

it at all, tended to regard it as New York's lighthouse • 

"Uncle ,Joe" Cannon., s. Midwestern spokesman for· the eco~omy 

bloc and chairman of the House Appropri~tions Committee, 

expresse~ the typical view 'men he declared in reply to 

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Sulzer's impassioned plea: 

New York Harbor and the great city of New York 

have enough to ask from the Treasury of the 

United St ates for absolutely necessary items, 

instead of $50,000 for this light, which would 

not aid commerce a particle. So, my dear 

friends, stick to the old flag. It is a good 

chance to make a speech. Stick to the poetry; 

but when you get down to · cold business, let us. keep the $50,000 to give to some work that 

needs it. • . . 

Sulzer's amendment was defeated by six votes.34 

The next few years saw increasing agitation for repair 

and improvement of the Statue. Some concern was expressed 

about the green patina that was gradually forming over the 

• 

copper. The New York Evening Post advocated a thorouell 

cleaning to remove this "unsightly green crust," but 

Cornelius Bliss of the Citizens Committee replied: 

The statue is in good repair. We have not considered cleaning i t because it has not been con- sidered necessary. It would cost quite a sum to 

do the work properly, and t he Committee has not . the necessary funds • Of course, if this verdigris began to injure the surface of the metal we 

should find the necessary money before harm was 

done .•. .35 . . 

The questron was again raised in 1907, but after letters 

were published in newspaper. columns pointing out the esthetic 

advantages of the pat ina over the "crudity and hardness" of 

the original copper the New York Times announced: 

It is not the intention of the engineers of the l~ar Depart ment • . . to re100ve the patina which 

has softened t~e outlines of the statue and made 

it beautiful.3 

23 
A fUrther attempt was mnde in Congress in 1905 to 

appropriate funds for more adequate ligbting of the Statue, 

since only $3,500 per year was available to ~be Army for 

this purpose. Congressman Goulden of New York introduced a 

bill, referred to the Appropriations Committee, to appropriate $25,000 for equipment to illuminate the entire Statue 

and increase the intensity of the torch. A month later he 

submitted another bill calling for $56,451 to provide for 

"proper lighting and repairs" of the Statue. 37 Secretary of 

War Taft urged favo~le action, declaring that "the .condition of the statue is such that it may collapse unless the 

repairs are made soon • " He added that the Quartermaster 

General's Office had already drafted plans to correct a defect in the pedestal and install an elevator for the use of 

sigbtseers. "Unless the statue is repaired," he concluded, 

"it is ·not regarded as safe for visitors to explore the interior or clilnb up -to the top." 38 

Taft's warning was more effective than an oration. 

While the Goulden bill was not reported out of committee , 

the General Deficiency Act of 1906 provided $62,8oo for the 

Statue of Liberty. Despite their plans to repair the Statue 

and pedestal, build a new electric· Plant for the torch 

ligbt, and construct new walks on the island, the War Department found, after contracts had been awarded the following 

24 

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.... 

year 1 that the :funds were su:rticient o!Uy for what seemed 

i'irst-priori t y projects. These included f1lling and grading 

inside the fort walls, repair of t he Wharf, repairs and 

granite facing of the pedestal and fort terreplein 1 repairs ' 

and painting inside the Statue and pedestal, and install&-

tion of stairways in the Statue and an electric elevator in 

the pedestal. 39 

Nothing was done to i.lqprove the l ighting of the Statue 

of Liberty until 1916, When World War I stimulated renewed 

interest in this symbol of freedom and democracy. Late 1n 

1915 the New York World, after consulting artists, engineers, 

and electrical experts, submitted to the War Department detai~ed plans for improving the torch l ighting and installing 

a permanent floodlighting system; these plans had been formula ted by George W1lliams of the Henry L. Do~erty Co. 1 Who 

had first · conceived the idea and presented it to the World . 

The newspaper proposed to raise $30, 000 by popular subscription, as in 1885, to install the light ing plant if the Fed-

' eral Government -.roul:d provide an annual appropriation for 

maintenance. After approval by the War De)?8rtment 1 the 

Rivers and Harbors Bill was amended to authorize this proposal, and on July 27, 1916, it received President Wi l son 's 

signature.40 

Almost before the campaign got underway 1 a catastrophe 

25 
occurred which focused even more attention upon the Statue 

of Liberty. This was the famous Black Tom munitions explosion of July 30, 1916, which cau.sed two deaths and an estimated $40, 000,000 damage. Early on a Sundlcy' lOOming, the 

severe bombardment began at Black Tom wharf, just half a 

mile from Bedloe's Island on the New Jersey shore. Nearly 

100 people, members of an .Army Signal Corps Company and 

their families, were living on the island; because there was 

great danger from flyi.ng glass and falling plaster, the women 

and children were evacuated to Governors Island. Later a detachment of .Army Engineers surveyed the damage, finding that 

although about $10o",oo6 damage was done to structures on 

Bedl.Oe 'a Island, ·only one building, a c9rrugated iron warehouse, had been demolished. The Statue itself suffered little from the explosions--the only damage noted was that about 

100 iron bolts in the inner shell of the structure had been 

ripped off, and the pedestal and the exterior of the Statue 

had been chipped slightly by shrapnel. Tb.e ·power plant was 

not affected, and the torch light continued to burn throughout the holocaust. The island was closed to visitors for 

about 10 days while repairs were made, and thereafter the 

' ladder leading through the arm to the torch has been closed 

to the public.4l 

News of the Black Tom expl.osion caused an increase in 

... 

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.• 

... 

contributions to the World's fund. · A month earlier, through 

the cooperation of t he Navy Department, a dramatic demonstration had been given to show the effect of the proposed 

:floodlighting. The battleship Michigan used its powerful 

searchlights to illuminate the Statue :for 35 minutes, While 

members of the General Federation of Women's ClUbs, in New 

York :for a convention, joined the House Military Affairs 

SUbcommittee on a chartered boat and thousands watched the 

show :from the Battery. 42 As the campaign gainea momentum, 

donations poured in to "Miss Liberty" ·from every State and 

several :foreign countries. Funds were solicited throughout 

the Nation by actors and actresses, Boy Scouts, and civic 

organizations . Girl volunteers wearing Lib.,rty sashes coliected money in Liberty banks and, .in the words of the World, 

"school children denied themselves penny llll<Ur;l.es to add 

their share • " In less than 6 months the goal had been 

reached through. the contributions of more than 501 000 · 

people.43 · 

The new lighting syst em· was a great improvement. It 

included 15 batteries of floodlights, a total of 246 projectors of 250 watts each, .mounted on the .star points of the 

old fort, on building roofs, and on t he pedestal balcony. 

The famous sculptor Gutzon Borglum was employed to remodel· 

the torch • To simulate a 11 ving flame, be used 6oo small 

27 

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sections of amber cathedra1 glass mounted in cutaway sheet 

bronzej with a fifth-order lighthouse lens installed, the 

torch produced about 20,000 candlepower.44 

The lights were dedicated on December 2 1 the opening 

day of Electrica1 Week, and .similar ceremonies were held at 

the same time throughout the country. President Wilson 

officiated from the Presidential yacht Maytlower 1 while. a 

division of the Atlantic Fleet was anchored in the harbor. 

At sunset the President gave a wireless signal which turned 

on the ligllts as whistles hooted, ships saluted, and aviatrix 

Ruth Law flew over the Statue in a lighted airplane. The 

New York World triumphantly _described the scene: 

Transformed suddenly from a black and shapeless 

bulk against a rapidly darkening sky into a 

glorious goddess bathed in golden light 1 the 

Statue of Liberty . • • was illuminated in a 

manner befitting its prominence, its position 

and the idea 1 t symbolizes. . . • From now on 

it is the plan to keep Liberty aligllt between 

dusk and dawn, always . 

A parade from the Battery uptown to the Waldorf Hotel followed the ceremonies 1 culminating in a dinner attended by dignitaries including President Wilson, French Ambassador Jusserand,, 

Ralph Pulitzer of the World, and Chauncey Depew, the only surviving participant in the 1886 ceremonies.45 

Wilson's exte.mporaneous remarks at the dinner reflected 

his characteristic idea1ism and foreshado·.red the spirit which, 

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only a few months later, was to lead the American people to 

join enthusiastically in o. democratic crusade--a "war to end 

war." Tbe lighting of the Statue of Liberty, he emphasized, 

was ."a proper symbol of our life," for the illumination "did 

not proceed from Liberty, bu~ • • • from the light we were 

' throwing upon Liberty." Similarly 1 

• . • • the only light that ve can contribute to the 

illumination of the world is the light that Vill 

shine out of our life as a nation upon that conception and upon that image . • • . I wonder if we are worthy of that 

symbol •••. I wonder if we remember the sacrifices, the mutual concessions, the righteous 

yielding of selfish right that is signified by the 

word and the conception of Liberty • 

• • . the world is enligh~ened •.• by ideals, 

by ideas. The spirit of the world rises with the 

sacrifices of men, the spirit of the world rises 

as men forge~ to be selfish and unite to be 

great. . . . 

During the war years the interest 1n the Statue of Liberty, stimulated by the Horld' s campaign and the President's 

dedication of the new lighting system, became even more 

apparent. "Liberty Bond" posters and rallies made the Statue 

a familiar figure to all Americans, a symbol of the freedom 

and democracy for which they were fighting. The 77th Divi- , 

eion, stationed at Camp Upton, N. Y., bef~:~. emb~k1ng 

overseas, chose the Statue for its insignia and won fame in 

France as the Liberty Div1sion.47 By the war's end the 

Statue of Liberty had become the symbol of home to the re-
turning "doughboys;" most of whoni sailed past her on their · 

arrival back in the "land of the free." 

Visitation during the postwar period reflected this. increased interest in the Statue; in 1922, for example, 170,000 

"people rila.de the trip to Bedloe's Island.48 Neither in the 

press nor in Congress, however, was any concern expressed 

about the ·area, its admini!;!tration, interpretatlon, or development . · The general feeling apparently was that with the 

installation of the. improved lighting system in 1916 nothing 

remained to be done. ·The War Department, in this period of 

peace and Government economy, which was hailed as a return 

to "normal_cy, ". saw little justification for an ·increase· in 

appropriations for Fort Wood and the Statue at' Liberty. The 

infantry company of 6 officers and 120 men stationed there 

s~emed adequate to operate the elevator, police the grounds 

and the interior corridors and stairwqys, and provide guard 

functions on .the island.4

9 

This was the .situation, then; when by President 

Coolidge's proclamation of October 15, 1924, the Statue of 

Liberty became a National Monument . 50 This change of status 

was not, apparently, the result of any organized popular 

movement, put was the culinination of a series of circumstances_ whfch began 18 years before within the executive departments of the Government. -One of the milestones of the 

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conservation movement, the Antiquities Act of June 8 1 1906,. 

gave the President discretionary power to reserve as _National 

Monuments, by proclamation, any landmarks, structures, and 

objects of historic or scientific interest situated on 

Federal lands . To carry qut the provisions of this act, 

the Secretaries of the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, 

and War formulated a series of "Unifonn Rules and Regula.-

tiona," among wich was the following: 

13. The field officer in charge of land owned 

or controlled by the Government of the United 

States shall, from time to time, inquire and 

report as to the existence, on or near such 

lands, of ruins and archeal.ogical sites, historic or prehistoric ruins or monuments, obj ects of antiquity, historic l andmarks, his- . 

toric and prehistoric structures, and other 

objects of historic or scientific interest.51 

During the succeeding 5 years, the Antiquities Act was invoked to create 15 National Monuments, pri~cipally in the 

Southwest, none of wich was on a military reservation.52 

Late 1n 1912, W1lli8111 S. Appleton of the Society:tbr the 

Preservation of New England Antiquities wrote the Secretary 

of the ~nterior to inquire about the Antiquities Act, indicating several old forts in New England owned by the Government that he felt should become National Monuments. His 

letter was referred to the War Department, and the machinery 

was set in motion that was to resul~ 2 years later, in the · 

creation of Statue of Liberty National Monument. The Chief 

,• 
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of the Quartermaster Corps and the Chief of Engineers, after 

consideration of the matter, concluded that it was the inten~ion of the 1906 law that "the initiative in. selecting 

historic landmarks, structures, etc., should be taken by the 

various Departments," and recommended that all post commanders should report, as prescribed in Paragraph 13 of the 

Uniform Rules, on· all such features under their. jurisdiction. 53 Alnong the reports received was one from Capt . J • B • 

Douglas, Signal Corps, Commanding Officer of Fort Wood, 

which stated: 

• . • the statue of "Liberty Enlightening the 

World." is ·erected within the old Star Fort at 

this post. 

It is highly improbable that the land occupied 

by the . . . statue and fort ~ll ever be used 

for any other purpose ...• 5 

Finally, on July 17, 1915, War Department Bulletin 

No. 27 was issued, declaring some 50 areas under military 

jurisdiction, ~ncluding the Statue of Liberty, to be National tOC!numents by order of the Secretary of War. The 

bulletin added further: 

The respective military authorities that are 

in control of the landmarks, structures and reseryations declared as national monwnents . . . will 

give to them such care and protection as may be 

possible by the utilization of material and labor 

at hand, ~Tithout ' extra expense to the War Department.55 

This declaration had no noticeable effect upon the Statue of 

Liberty or its administration, and apparently received no 

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notice at the time of the dedication of the new lighting 

system or during l~orld War I. In fact, as the Quartermaster 

General was informed in 1923, the monument area had not been 

"marked, fenced or otherwise distinguished from the remaining area of Fort Wood since the issuance c£ Bulletin 27."56 

At the instigation of the National Park Service, this 

anomalous situation of National Monuments- created by Departmental fiat rather than Presidential proclamation was finally 

clarified and legalized. A letter on· March 171 1923, from 

Acting Director Cammerer to Capt •. P. A •. Hodgson of the 

Office of the Assistant Secretary of War, acknowledged receipt of a copy of Bulletin 27, Which he had requested, 

adding: 

I am a little bit perplexed in reading the 

bulletin, because I cannot understand under 

What authority other than the President's a 

monument can be created under the so-called 

Antiquities Act of 1906. Can you give me a 

line on this to enlighten me personally? • • 

Four days later Csmmerer's letter ha,d been forwarded to the 

Adjutant General's Office with a request to "make a study of 

this matter to determine what action should be taken in regard to the monuments listed in Bulletin No . 27." When it 

was realized that an error had been made in 1915, the subject was referred to the Quartermaster General and the 

J udge Advocate General for determination of the ·def'inite 

limits of the monuments and preparation of a proclamation 

33 
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draft for the signature of the President.57 

Hhile it "'as quickly conceded that these areas \/ere not 

"in fact or in loM" National Monuments, there \laS considerable discussion as to ho"' many of those listed in Bulletin 27 

should be included in the Presidential proclamation. Quartel'lllli.ster General Hart recommended that "no garrisoned post 

or military reservation having present military use be proclaimed a nationli.l. monument," for 

This wuld entail an extra guard during ·the hours 

when visitors must be admitted to view it •.•• 

it does not seem quite desirable that this. extra 

burden be put upon the Commanding Officer of the 

garrisoned post unless the historic value of the 

site is so great that the interests of the publ~~ 

demand that proper exploitation of the historic · portion be made to a\laken or to satisfy patriotic 

sensibility. 

His superior, Assistant Chief of Staff Heintzelman, agreed 

that the original list should be abridged and that no 

garrisoned posts should be included, but made a specific 

exception in the case of the Statue of Liberty .5

8 

Hart, agreeing, pointed out that the original acceptance and dedication of the Statue by Congress and the President might imply that it had always been regarded as a National Monument in the popular sense, so recommended: 

To avoid the possibl e creation of an impression 

that the statue has not heretofore been considered 

a nation.al monument . • . such designation [Shoul~7 be made a separate Proclamation involving this 

monwnent only and . . • the reason for so designating it .•• stated in such terms that it wilL 

34 

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• 

. :; 

imply the sh to express the conti nued good 

will of the United S·tates .£towards· Fra:nc!-7 

rather than t o _au@llent the significance of 

the statue. 

He was overruled on this point, however, and instructed to 

prepare a final draft of proclamation designating the Statue 

of Liberty and st tes on four .other military -reservations as 

National Monuments. The proclamation, signed by the Presij dent on October 15, 1924, limited the monumen~ to the area 

enclosed by the walls of old Fort l{ood, since according to 

the provisions of the Antiquities Act the land reserved 

"shall be confined to the smallest area com;Patible with the 

proper care and management of the objects to be protected."59 

~ few months later the War Department rescinded Bulletin 27, 

and the other military areas listed therein reverted to 

6o their original status. 

With its establishment as a National Monument, a new 

era began for the Statue of Liberty. 

35 
A NATIONAL SHRINE: 1924 TO THE PRESENT 

The establishment of·Statue of Liberty National Monument did not at first result in any appreciable change in 

the e.dministration of the area. President Coolidge • s proclamation vas not publicized for nearly 2 months, then it vas 

published in a War Department Bulletin and annoimced by the 

Army In.forms.tion Service . Even after the proclamation vas 

publicized, there was some misunderstanding of what the 

changed status impli ed. According to one newspaper, not 

only was the Statue now a National Monument .but old Fort 

Wood, its star-shaped base, vas e. National Park.1 Another 

article, referring to the Statue of Liberty as a National 

Park, called this "a mere bookkeeping arrangement, • . • 

transferring her affairs from the War Department to the Department of the Interior. "

2 

Actually, of course, the War Department conti.nued to 

administer the monument as it had previously, as part of the 

Fort Wood military reservation. To the Army, moreover, 

probably the most important insta.llation on the island vas 

the Signal Corps radio station, which handled all wireless 

messages for Second Corps Area headquarters· on Governors 

Island) Assistant Secretary of War Davis·, in an attempt to 

make some provision for the newly designated National Monu-

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ments, was unable to be specific in writing the QUartermaster General, under \~hose supervision these areas were 

placed. As no definite instructions, to his knowledge, had 

been issued, Davis directed him 

• • . to administer these National Monwnents in 

a manner similar to that heretofore prescribed 

for the National Military Parks, and to assume 

the duty of inspection, maintenance and upkeep . . 4 

Because of the Army policy of replacing post commanders at 

Fort Wood at frequent intervals, it was soon realized, bowever, that some change was desirable in the administration 

of the area. A War Department committee', formed expressly 

to study this problem, recommended that the Statue be administered by a civilian superintendent on indefinite appoi.ntment, ·acting under the supervision of the Fort Wood commander.5 On November 16, 1925, William A. Simpson, assisted by 

three civi.lisn attendants, became the first superintendent 

of Statue of Liberty National Monument .6 

One of the first problems facing the new superintendent 

was a direct result of the Statue's increased popularity. 

This was the attempt of certain groups and organizations to 

use this well-known symbol for .advertising or publicity 

purposes. The first such attempt bad been made in 1884, 

during the pedestal f\md campaign, wen sn offer bad been 

made to donate $25,000 With the proviso that 

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for the period of one year you permit us to 

place across the top of the pedestal the word 

'CASTO RIA' • Thus art and science, the symbol of ·liberty to man, and of health to his chi1dren, 

would be more closely enshrined in. the hearts of ~ur people.7 

The proposal made early in 1926 was equally incongruous . 

Ltl.zoarus B~tlle1·s, a. jewe1ry finn founded ·by an imud.grant, 

offered as ·a token of gratitude and appreciation an . 

illuminated wristwatch to be placed upon Miss Liberty's 

right arm. The official reply declining this offer came 

from Washington, Assistant Secretary of War MacNider politely questioning the "congruity of so modem an orne.-

ment • upon the c1assic~y robed figure. "

8 

Two mpnths later Simpson had to cope with another type 

of publicity seeker when tnree members of the War Veterans 

Light Wines and Beer League visited the Statue. Climbing 

to. the cr9wn, they draped two 6o-foot b1ack crepe streamers 

from the windows, in protest against their "loss of liberty . 

and free speech" in being denied permission to testify at a 

Senate Committee hearing 0::1 prohibition. Simpson ~d two 

guards removed the crepe a.lJnost immediately, but not before 

photographers on a nearby tug, hired for this purpose by a 

press A.gent, had obtained pictures.9 An aftermath of this 

incident was the announcement by the Army Information Service that 50 men would be added to the Military Police detachment on the island in order to provide better protection 

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against vandals and publi city seekers.lO 

A further j ustificati on f or augmenting the guard force 

was the prevention of suicide attempts from the Statue, two 

instances of this perverted t ype of publicity seeking 

occurring during this period. In 1926, a guard f rustrated 

the attempted suicide of a young Russian refugee about to be 

deported, but 3 years later a 22- year-old Bronx youth 

plunged t o his death after climbing out one of the windows 

in the crown .ll Fortunately, no other attempts have been 

made since that time, nor have any accidental falls occurred 

from either t he crown or the pedestal balcony. 

Another problem facing t he new superintendent was repair and rehabilitation of the monument. The Statue, 

particularly the granite pedestal, had througt\ the years 

since its dedication become encrusted with smoke and grime 

borne on weste rly winds from industrial New Jersey. Criticism of t his condition, in the New York World and elsewhere, 

l ed to discussion of giving the Statue a bath. The World 

announced that the Arii(f was studying methods of cleaning 

the structure, among which was a plan to have it "washed 

with minute beads of soap which will dissolve instantly on 

contact with water, · fo:nn super-suds and remove the dirt. " 

The Times, however, after checking the story with the Army, 

characteri.zed it as "a lot of hokum" and declared that 

39 
"the rwnor originated as an advertisement for a soap." The 

discussion of the bath ended .with a group of people trying 

to powder the Statue's nose, providing another headache for 

Superintendent Si~son.12 

The lighting system was also receiving criticism. As 

early as 1922 the War Department had testified at con.gressional appropriations committee hearings that improvements 

were necessary to eliminate unflattering shadows around the 

face of the Statue. Six years later the Army reported that 

half the f l oodlight proJectors had defective reflectors and 

that because of corrosion many' had lost their mountings. 

The cost of repair and replacement was estimated at $2,500, 

and it was proposed that the "now obsolete system of lighting" be doubled to eliminate the shadows .13 

Finally, in 19~1, :f'unds were appropriated to make the 

needed improvements. A modern floodlighting system, designed 

to eliminate all shadows, which, with other improvement.s, 

cost about $30, 000, was installed by the Westinghouse Company.14 A total of ninety-six 1,000-watt l amps was placed 

on the terreple1n 1n the ll star-points of Fort Wood; 1n 

addition, twenty-four 200-watt lights were mounted on the 

balcony and at the base of the Statue. The torch light was 

improved by the substitution of fourteen 1,000-watt lamps .. . 

for the eXisting 250-watt lamps, and 22 flashing lights were 

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placed 1n the crovn . An automatic clock was installed to 

control the floodlig)lts, similar to the system installed in 

1925 for the torch.1 5 '.1\ro days before the Statue's 45th 

anniversary, on October 26, the new 500, 000-candlepower 

system was formally dedicated. In this c.eremony, French 

Premier Laval' s daughter turned the new floodlight system on 

by remote control from the Empire State Build1ng.l6 

Along Yith the improved lighting, the War Department 

made other needed repairs. Tbe pedestal stairs acquired 

safety treads and handrails, the exterior of the granite 

pedestal was repointed, minor rifts in the copper shell of 

the Statue were .welded, and new windows were installed in 

the croYn; in addi tion, a new Otis elevator replaced the old 

one, which had s een 25 years' service. With the new floodlights, the grime on the Statue became mre visible; so, 

because of increasing complaints, the Statue and pedestal 

were steam cleaned. By June 1932, all this work had been 

finished and the Statue of Liberty seemed to be completely 

renovated.l7 

This was the situation when the National Park Service · 

entered the picture as a result of the reorganization of the 

executive branch of the Government . By Section 2 of President lb>sevelt' s Executive Order No . 6166 of June 10, 1933, 

the administration of all public buildings, r eservations, 
national parks, national monuments, and national cemeteries 

was consolidated under the Department of the Interior in the. 

Orfice of National Parks, Buildings, and Reservations, renamed the National Park Service in the following year •

18 

This order was made more explicit by Executive Order No. 

6228, dated July 28, 1933, 'Which listed the areas under the 

War Department to be transferred to tbe Interior Department, 

among which was the Statue of Liberty.l9 The administrative 

chan~ was announced on August ll in the New York Times, 

'Which declared: 

The grounds are economy. The Interior Department 

won't spend the way the army did. It is just part 

of the President's recovery program .• • ,20 . 

This statement was proved false in a matter of months, 

'When it was announced that $25,000 of public works funds bad 

been allotted to the Statue of Liberty for routine repairs. 

Among the improvements planned were the construction of 

granite waterproof kiosks over the stairway entrances on the 

old fort terreplein or promenade, renovation of the second 

landing in the pedestal to provide some visitor services, 

improvement of the interior lighting, and the lining of the 

fort corridors and the fourth landing of the pedestal to prevent water seepage.21 

At about the same time, National Park Service officials 

undertook a study of the area and discussed plans for its 

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future development. On December 6, 1933, John 1. Nagle o.nd 

C. 1\. Peters, Jr., of the Branch of Engineering, visited 

Bedloe's Island to make a preliminary investigation, after 

'Which they were interviewed by the press. Mr. Nagle 1 as 

quoted in the New York Times, stated that "it was hoped to 

convert Bedloe's Island into a national park, thus providing 

a dignified and f1 tting frsme for the celebrated statue 

1

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but added that 

.•. up to this time the question of cost, the 

'llillingness of the War Department to remove the 

buildings elsewhere and other details have not 

been discussed . 

Public opinion would, of course, have to be 

taken into consideration . . • We feel that the 

Statue of Liberty is one of our most imposing 

and important national monuments 1 and it would 

be desirable to build a national park around 

it.22 

Superintendent Simpson strongly endorsed this objective. 

He wrote the Director: 

Eventually the entire Island must be under the 

jurisdiction of The Department of the Interior. 

The War Department has no common interest in the 

things for which the National Park Service 

stands . Dual jurisdiction on the Island greatly 

retards advancement of those things the service 

deems essential for the benefit of the public. 

He wa assured that attempts to enlarge the National Monument to include the whole island were then underwo.y 1n 

Washington. 23 In fact 1 Secretary of Interior Ickes and 

Secretary of War Dern, according to a press dispatch from 

the Capital, had .already made a tentative agreement to that 

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end. 

"The entire island," Ickes emphasized to Den1, "is none 

too large for a proper setting for this national and international monument, and the use of any par~ of the island for 

utilitarian purposes is contrary to the conception and message o~ the monument ." Dern in his reply expressed approval 

of the idea and agreed to close the military post on the 

island "if army. housing accommodations could be provided 

elsewhere. "24 

Ickes, in his capacity as Public Works Administrator, 

attempted to solve this problem, suggesting the possibility 

of allotting public works funds in order to provide the 

necessary accommodations at other military installations in 

the New York area, "and also f'or providing a new dock and 

generally cleaning up the area after demolition of the old 

buildings ."25 But this attempt proved abortive, for a further problem had arisen in the meantime. On January 31, 

1934, the War Department, on the basis of an opinion by the 

Judge Advocate General, withdrew its concurrence in the proposal to effect the t ransfer. Because New York's deed of 

18o0 had conveyed Bedloe's Island to,the United States 

/ 

specifically for military purposes, it was believed that the 

proposed transfer to the Interior Department would result in 

a forfeiture of title to and jurisdiction over the island by 

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the Federal Government . Although the Attorney General, whose 

opinion in the matter was requested by Ickes, disagreed with 

the War Department interpretation and- saw no donger of forfeiture, the attempt to transfer jurisdiction of the island 

was dropped for the time being, -and the National Park Service had to wait nearly 4 more years before acquiring the 

whole of Bedloe's Island.26 

Meanwhile, the 50th anniversary of the dedication of 

the Statue was approaching and plans were being made to 

celebrate the occasion. Simpson had retired as superintendent on May 31, 1934, being succeeded by George A. Palmer, 

the first Park Service career man to hold that posit1on.27 

As early as the spring of 1935, Palmer began contacting 

patriotic organizations and laying the groundwork for the 

celebration to be held Oc t ober 28, 1936. In December 1935, 

at Palmer's suggestion, Secretary Ickes was requested to 

invite ·president Franklin D. Roosevelt and the French 

Ambassador to participate. At this juncture Palmer was 

transferred to Fort McHenry National Monument and his suecesser, Oswald E. Camp, continued the planning. Because of 

the limited size and relative isolation of the island and 

the Statue, it was realized that comparatively few people 

could attend a celebration there . Moreover, since it was 

the symbolic significance of the Statue rather than the 

45 
figure itself that was of prin~y importance, it was ngreed 

that not only the most practicoJ. but the most s~isfactory 

observance of the anniversary would be a nationwide celebration throughout the whole year, culminating in a rededication ceremony on October 28 at the Statue . The objective 

of the program, it was officially stated, was "to recall to 

the minds of the American .people the history and significance of the Statue of Liberty and to give as many of them 

as possible an opportunity to take part 1n some activity 

connected with the .Anniversary observance . n28 

The realization of this objective was more than satisfactocy. The St atue of Liberty, its background and 1)1eaning 

1n American history, ~as studied in schools throughout the 

Natipn. Nearly a score of civic, educational, and patriotic 

organizations carried on various -eypes of commemorative 

activity, including an essay contest, a poetry contest, e. 

radio script contest, and an oratorical contest, all based 

on the theme of the meaning of the Statue of Liberty. 

Nationwide newspaper and magazine publicity was suppleme.nted 

by radio progr8111S on all networks. ~!embers of the French 

colony in the United States were enlisted in the cause, 

while widespread interest and enthusiasm were generated in 

their homelAnd. Bastille Day was celebrated at the Statue 

by a ceremony which included the presentation of an album 

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containing photographs of Bartholdi's home, studio, and vorks 

of art--a gift from the citizens of the Alsatian city of 

Colmar, the sculptor's birthplace . To organize and direct 

the cerei!X)ny of r ededication, and the banquet which was to 

follow it, a National Statue of Liberty Fiftieth Anniversary 

Committee with .a membership of more th~ 100 was formed by 

interested citizens. 29 

On October 28, about 31 500 people Journeyed to Bedloe 's 

Island for the celebration, while thousands more heard the 

proceedings on the rsdio. With Ma.Yor LaGuardia of New York 

officiating as chairman, speeches were made by Joseph H. 

Choate, head of the National Committee; Secretary of Interior 

Ickes; French Ambassador de Laboulaye, grandson of the man 

who first conceived the Statue; French Undersecretary of 

State DeTessan; and by r adio from Paris, French President 

Lebrun.. Pr.esident Fl:x>sevelt, in t he principal address of 

the day, related the anniversary celebration to the threateni ng international situation, declaring: 

It was the hope of those who gave us this 

statue 'and the hope of the American people in 

receiving it that the Goddess of Liberty and 

the Goddess of Peace were the same. It is 

fitting, therefore, that this shou1d be a service of rededication to the liberty and the 

peace which this statue symbolizes . Libert y 

and peace are living things. In each generation--if they are to be maintained--they must 

be guarded and Vitalized anew. 30 

47 
The activi t i es of t he 50th anniversar y year not only 

succeeded in making the Statue of Liberty more familiar and 

more -meaningful t o more Americans, but gave impetus to the 

movement to enlarge the boundaries of the National Monument. 

Secretary Ickes renewed his request to the \~ar Department • 

for transfer of the island, suggesting that gradual abandonment of buildings and lands would enable the Army to make 

substitute.provisions for housing personnel at other instal~ 

lations, while at the same time allowing the ·National Park 

Service to begin development ~rk on the entire island.3l 

A few months later Ickes, in his capacity as Public .Works 

Administrator, announced an·allotment of $175,000 to the 

Army Quartermaster Corps for additions to Forts Hamilton and 

Jay to accommodate the troops to be moved from Fort Wood, 

and negotiations between the two depart ments were reopened.32 

On May .4, ·1937, the War Department informed Secretary 

Ickes that the Army planned to evacuate Bedloe's Island by 

June 30, except for t he Second Corps Area radio station, 

which could not be moved for some time. The Interior Department then prepared-a draft of a proclamation to enlarge the 

National Monument, and assured the Secretary of War that a 

permit would be issued to give the Army the use of the necessary grounds, buildings, and utilities for the continued 

functioning of the radio st ation. But, because the draft of 

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the proclwnntion \tnG not tro.nsmitted to the Preaident until 

mid-July, the transfer could not be effected so quickly.33 

~~reover, an additional problem had arisen vbich h4d to 

be resol ved by f'urther discussion . This concerned the operation of ferry service to the island, provided by the 

~lcAl.l.ister Navigation Co .. under a contract v1 th the Arm::f • 

As this contract was to expire on June 30, the Int erior Department requested the War Department to renew it for only a 

short term or, preferably, on a month-to-month basis, thus 

freeing the National Park Service from any long-term commitments. The Army, after inviting bids for boat service 

for a 2-year period, f inally yielded to the protestati ons of 

Acting Secretary of the Interior West and made a l-year contract with the Sutton Line . Furthermore; the contract contained a provision authorizing the United States to terminate the arrangement at any time or, as was done in January 

1938, to assign the contract from the War Department to the 

Interior Department.34 

Finally, on September 7, President Roosevelt issued a 

proclamation adding the Fort Wood reservation to the National Monument, the enlargement being considered "necessary 

f or the proper care , management, and protection of the 

colossal statue of 'Liberty Enlightening the World. ,.,35 

Army headquarters on Governors Island had previously ordered 
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the evacuation by Sept ember 25 of e.l.l. Fort Wood personnel, 

except the Signal Corps detachment manning the radio station; by September 30 all military equipment had been re -

moved as well and the island was turned over to the National 

36 Park Service. The only vestige of the Army1 the radio 

station, remained in operation under a special- use permit 

until December 23 1 19411 'When it ws moved to Governors 

I sland.37 

Even before the issuance of the Presidential proclamation the National Park Service had begun planning for the 

expected enlargement of the National M::mument. As early as 

April 19371 Superintendent Camp and Coordinating Superintendent Elbert Cox of Morristown National Historical Park 

recommended that preparation of a Master Plan be undertaken 

as soon as possible. Chief Architect Thomas C. Vint concurred and assigned Resident Landscape Archi teet Norman T. 

Newton to "design a comprehensive ccheme for the whole of 

Bedloe 's Isl.and . ,3S Meanwhil.e 1 a WPA project had been 

approved to investigate 1 measure 1 and repair the Statue and 

pedestal. It was decided to await the conclusions of this 

examination before proceeding with the comprehensive pl.an 

in order to base planning on concrete evidence . Moreover 1 a 

topographical map of the entire isl and had to be prepare~ by 

Park Service engineers and a study made of the possibl.e use 

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of existing Army buildings.39 

During May 1937, conferences were held, first in 

Washington and then on BedJ.oe' s Island. Engineer H. A. 

McDonough, supervising the.lf.PA project, reported the discovery of important structural faults in the Statue and 

pedestal, due principally to water seepage. To remedy these 

defects, it was decided to close the structure to the public 

above the second landing of the pedestal whi~e an extensive 

painting and repainting job was carried out. The project 

also included repair or replacement of rusted sections of 

the Statue framework and the construction of a copper apron 

around the bottom of the Statue to keep water out of the 

pedestal. Other work around the exterior of the monument 

was deferred . As Landscape Architect Newton explained, "The 

intent is to press forward now those operations which cannot 

interfe~e with an eventual Master Plan."4o 

On June 14 and 15 another conference was held at the 

Statue With Chief Architect Vint and other Washington Office 

representatives attending. Tentative agreement was reached 

on a number of objectives to be embodied in the Master Plan. 

Chief among these, Vint indicated, should be the elimination 

as soon as feasible of the 20 Army buildings and structures 

on the island, with those clustered about the base of the 

Statue scheduled for early demolition. All necessary admin51 
istration, utility, museum, and reoidence buildings ~ere to 

be built o.t the northwc:;t end of the islo.nd in a landscaped 

area removed from the Statue; this ~ould entail enlarging 

that end of the islo.nd by adding earth fill and a new seawall. It was also decided that the existing east dock, 

immediately in front of ~he Statue, should be abandoned and 

demolished, and the Army's ~est dock, or a new facility constructed in its approximate position, should be used as the 

passenger boat landing. This change, it vas emphasized, 

would give visitors the best view of the Statue from the 

w'!'ter approacli.ing the islo.nd as well as from the land, for 

broad walks would lead from the dock to the monument . Providing landing facilities for small private boats was also 

suggested, preferably at the western end of the island. 

Entrance to the Statue would be through the former main gate 

on the ~est side of old Fort ~/ood, instead of the sallyport 

at the front of the Statue.41 

After further study, discussion, and elaboration, Vint 

recommended these "points of policy and other general principles" to the Director, and on October 15 they were approved by Acting Director Demaray. The General Development Plan 

' ~as· drafted, based on these principles, and on March 24, 

1938, was approved by Director Cammerer and the Commission 

of Fine Arts.42 

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The principal objective of the proposed development of 

the area was ''ell summarized in the narrative accompanying 

·the ~~ster Plan, the first edition of ~ich was submitted 

early in 1938: 

. • . the cramped squalor of the present surroundings must be replaced by a setting of appropriately veil-ordered dignity. It is clear that 

ample simplicity, rather than ostentation, vill 

be an essential quality of such an environment. 

But it is equally clear that a niggardly policy 4 of development would be unvarranted and disastrous • 3 

With the passage of the years since 1937, this Objective 

has continued to dominate the development program at Statue 

of Liberty National Monument . The Master Plan approved at 

that time is gradually, vith only minor modifications, becoming a reality. The program has not. always progressed at a 

uniform rate of speed, for its realization has depended, of 

course, upon available funds . It was estimated at the outset 

that all proposed improvements could be accomplished for 

slightly more than $1,500,000, and this amount \188 included 

in the "Six-Year Program of Public Works" submitted in 1937 

by the National Park Service to the Public Works Administration. IN..ring 1937 and 1938, more than one-third of this 

amount \188 allocated to the area for WPA and PWA projects • 44 

Without these emergency funds, the development program for 

the Statue of Liberty, as in many other areas in the National 

Park System, would have proceeded much more slowly, if at 

53 
all. And ~>~hen · the emergency relief program was dJ.scontinued 

a few years l ater, development came temporarily to a halt. 

In the 5 years from ~lay 1937 t o June 1942, much was 

accomplished, but more .remained t o be done . Repair of the 

Statue ~d pedestal, including construction of a new stairway to the foot of the l?tatue, was completed by l-IP A labor in 

April 1939. Here was involved in this project than was at 

first imagined, for not .only did the framework of the arm 

require strengthening but the crown spikes had to be removed 

and their rusted supports replaced. During most of this 

work, the Statue was closed completely to the public, finally being reopened in December 1938 . The WPA laborers also 

demolished most of the old Army buildings, two of which were 

retained temporarily as quarters for the staff, and repaired 

the east dock . Before the program \laS terminated with the 

coming of ~lorld He.r II, a beginning was made in constructing 

a new· seawilll and regrad.ing and seeding the eastern end of 

the island; the last projects completed were excavation for 

the new flagpole foUndation and construction of granite 

steps for the new entrance at the rear of the Statue. In 

addition, contract ors using PI-lA funds laid a new waterline to 

New Jersey and bQilt new administration and concessi on 

buildings, completed by July 1941. 

Difficulty was encountered on some proposed projects. 

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J\n upper terrace on t he promenade, bet ween the top of the 

:fort Halls and the second landing of t he pedeste..l, was disallowed by the PHA as too costly, althoue;h i t had been 

j ustifi ed as necessary to complete the original conception 

of the structure . Simila rly, t he seawall project had to be 

suspended after a ruling by the Bureau of the Budget . The 

outlook appeared dim, moreover, for the planned enlargement 

of the island and the proposed new west pier and turning 

basin when the State of New Jersey, which claimed riparian 

rights around Be4!oe's Island, refUsed to give permission 

for the improvements.~5 

Problems characterized the general administration .as 

well as the development of the area during these years, al- . . 

though the coordinating superintendents at Morristown National Historical Park provided valuable assistance until 

May 191~2, when this supervisory relationship was terminated. 

In the first place, adequate maintenance of the enlarged· 

monument was difficult,. especially due to the extensive construction and demolition work under the WPA and PWA pro-

. jects. As Superintendent Camp indicat ed shortly after the 

Army had left the island, the two laborers fUrnished him by 

the Branch of Buildings Management office in New York could 

not properly clean up the whole island and maintain the 

utili ties, a job formerly performed by a ~lili tary Police 

55 
detail . Superintendent PaJ.mcr 1 who succeeded Camp in Decembe1· 1937, repeated the complaint for several months 1 until with \·IPA assistance t he maintenance staff \IllS increased 

to five men .

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Administration of -the area \las further complicated by 

supervision of concession operations. Under Army administration of the monument, certain services for the public had 

long been ·provided by contract arrangements, and the National Park Service believed that their continuation \ISS 

both necessary and desirable . The most vital concession 

from an operational standpoint was boat transportation to 

the island. Ferry service during this period was provided 

by the Sutton Line, whose contract with the Army had been 

t ransferred to the Park Service. By the terms of this exelusive contract, the concessioner not only had to furnish 

safe and regular transportation at moder a te prices for all 

visitors desiring to come to the Statue of Liberty, but was 

also r equired to transport the monument staff, including the 

families living on the island, and all necessary supplies 

and equipment for the operation of the area . This included 

boat service after visiting hours for the guard staff. 

Many recurring difficulties were encountered i,n this 

operation. Boat breakdowns caused interruptions i n service, 

and replacement vessels were often neither clean nor serv56 

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iceo.ble. Many v isitors during the peak travel season vere 

unable to visit the Statue because the boat· line failed to 

provide the required tvo-boat service. 1-breover, the sales 

practices and merchandise of the souvenir-refreshment concession on the boat received continual criticism. Finally, 

in November 1943, after a seemingly endless series of boat 

breakdmms, the Sutton Line contract vas assigned to B. B. 

Wills, who operated the ferry concession for the next 10 

years.47 

The National Park Service also inherited several concessions on the island from the Arnry. The most important of 

these was a souvenir and refreshment stand, which had been 

operated since 1932 by Aaron Hill, former ArmY post exchange 

48 . steward at Fort Hood. The souvenir counter was originally 

located on the second landing of the pedestal, but 1n 

January 1938, one of the old Arm:y buildings adjacent to the 

east dock vas reconditioned by flill and his concession operation established there . Three years later, when development 

of the isl and was underway, a new concession building was 

constructed by ~lA contractors at t he western end of the 

island near the new administration building, but it could 

not be occUPied for bu.siness until that area was opened to 

the public after the war. 

Hill died in 1943; the concession was continued by 

57 
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Mro. Eve;Lyn Hi1,:) .. , hie )'li dow, ho hes co.rri ed on the opero.-

t ion .to the present t ir.1e .• 49 Army contract s ·with a souvenir 

phot ographer end a pa rtially blind bootblack, \tho also 

operated_ a parcel checking service, were also continued by 

the Service under a subc.oncession arrangement with Hill. 50 

Sightseeing ~inoculars, installed by the Tower Optical 

Company, were in operation on the Statue promenade until 

a departmental decision in 1946 r esulted in discontinu-

: ance of this type of concession oper ation in areas admin-

_ist_ered bY. the National Park Service. 51 

. Other administrative and operational problems were inherent in the insular situation of the monument . Although 

located onl.y 1t miles from one of the largest cities in the 

world, and about t of that distance from New Jersey, the 

island is isolated in many >rays. Hater, electricity, and. · 

telephone communication have to be proviqed by submarine 

conduits originat.ing in NeH Jersey. The Army had operated 

and maintained the,se . ut ili ties and with its extensive establishment in the New York area was bett~r able than the Park 

Service to cope with such occurrences as water-main breaks 

and po.~re -cable damage caused by ships' anchors or dredging 

operations. I nterruptions in these services are a hardship 

not only to the monument staff living and working on the 

island, but to :visitors as Hell. For example, during the 

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years of Service opcrstjon f'ro:n 1937 to 1956, t he island wa.s 

Without potable water 8 time:;, t elephone service J~ times, and 

electricity, necessary tor providing both light and heat, 

tl·rice; on !:lOst of these occo.sions service was resto1·ed only 

after a considerable time .5

2 

The telephone cable for a time was more than just a 

maintenance problem. Containing 11 pairs of conductors, it 

was owned by the Army and service between the island ~~d the 

mainland before 1937 had been furnished by the New Jersey 

Bell Telephone Co . under a special. contract • When the island 

was transfe~red to the National. Park Service, it was contemplated that ownership of the cable wollld al.so be transferred, 

but the telephone company stated that it collld not provide 

.. sertice in such a situation. Company pol.1cy, it was explained, prohibited service through other than company 

facilities, the only except ion being the Har Department because of military necessity . In this situation, the area 

collld obtain telephone service only if the company laid 

another submarine cable at Government expense. For this reason, it was decided that the Army HOuld retain Olmersh1p of 

t he cable, providing service to its radio station, and lease 

f1 ve cable pairs to the company lffiich in turn •.rollld lease 

them to the National. Po.rk Service . This arrangement continued even after the radio station was moved in 191}1, until 

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fin:.\ll.y 0:1 October 23, 1~)50, the /n·My tr:m:;fc rrcd the cable 

to the Dcpo.rtr.1cnt of t he Intcl;iol' :Uh no objection by t he 

cOr.!Pe.ny. In J anuary 1953 . t he Service is:;ucd n :;pecial.-use 

pennit t o the comp:my to clarify t he situfttion ,53 

The beginning of •·ro.z· on December 7, 191+1, brought other 

problems . All development •rork on the island, of course, 

soon came to 3 baJ.t. The proposed li{lhtine; improvements, 

planned by t he Westinghouse Co . for installati on on 

January 1, 19~2, had to be postponed, as t he Statue was 

blacked out for the duration of the war except far a small 

aerial obstruction light in the torch .54 Contrary to 

rumors, however, the island remained open to visitors every 

day. The staff, curtailed by military service and reductions in force, received emergency air-raid and first-aid 

training and continued t o se rve t he public. Visitation decreased during the early yee.1·s of t he war, due primarily to 

travel restrictions and fuel rntioning; a ban on school 

children traveling to museums and other sites of i.nterest in 

New York City restu ted in a marked decline i n school-group 

visitation . But throughout the war, the number of serVicemen and women Visiting the Statue of Liberty constantly increased.55 

Restrictions were placed on visitors in t he interests 

o.r ntlt.iomu <letew;e . Jio cwncrv.s >·>ere ~owed on the is.lanO. 

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by orcl.er of U::~ al. Int clli(jcncc, and t he bi noculars on the 

promenade, operated u.rtder e. concession contract 1 were reroved for t he duration of t he "ar. Furthel'11lQrc 1 a Coast 

Guard observati on st a t ion '"as insto.lled on 'the third landing 

of the pedesta.l, remaining t here unt il November ~91~6. 

Government al restrictj.ons and regulations a.lso affected manurnent operations . The Off ice of Price Administration revoked 

t he fUel oil ration for sight seeing craft, including those 

operated by the Sutton Line; ferry service was still provided to Bedloe 1 

s Island, however 1 by coa.l-burning boats • 

. Limitations on long- distance telephone calls were a hardship, for the monurnent .had a New Jersey exchange but carried 

on most Of its business in New York City. It was necessary 

far Superintendent Palllter or one of his staff to spend at 

least 1 day a week in t he city t ransacting business in person, until arrangement s were compl eted to install a New York 

City exchange telephone on the island.56 

Despite all these difficulties, the Statue of Liberty, 

as it had been during \lorld War I, became to millions of 

Americans a symbol of ·the democratic values and i nstitutions 

they .were defending . As a ~Tri er in Life magazine wrote a 

fe~1 months before America 1 s entry into ~lorld War II: 

Never be fore has the Statue of Liberty seemed 

so important. Never before have so many tormented' 

millions dreamed of her overseas or so many 

61 
Americans ••. traveled to Bedloe's Island somehow 

to absorb her perishable significance from the folds 

of her imperishable bronze ••.• 

Thousands of New Yorkers watched on the evening of June 6, 

1944, as the Statue was relighted for 15 minutes to flash 

"V for Victory" in observance of the Normandy invasion • The 

following month a war-bond rally, led by Mayor LaGUardia and 

Undersecretary of the Navy Bard, was held on the island; . 3,000 Americans of 24 different national origins participated. 

Moreover, a 55-foot· replica of the Statue was erected in 

Times Square the same year to serve as a focal point for warbond rallies, its torch being lighted by remote control on 

November 17 by President Roosevelt in Washington; all ~o 

pUrchased bonds there were given free tickets to visit the 

Statue of Liberty.57 

As the war ·drew to an end, the plans for improving the 

1ight}4g of· the Statue were rev.i ved. Under the supervision 

of Westinghouse engineers a battery of 16 mercury-vapor 

lamps was added to the floodlighting system and 6 vapor 

lamps were placed in the torch. This improvement, it was 

predicted, 'rould double the radiance of the floodlights and 

make ·the torch 'visible 10 to 20 miles at sea. On May 7, 

1945--V-E Day--the Statue was lighted in all her new brilliance. A month later arrangements were completed, with 

the cooperation of the military authorities of the New· York 

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Port of Elllbarkation, to hnvc t he Statue illuminated to greet 

returning rnili to.ry trMsports, regardless of what hour of 

the nigllt they entered the harbor ,58 The probable impact. of' 

peacetime visitation to the Statue ~s noted during this 

last year of the var, for the annual travel figure surpassed half a million f or the first time in the history of 

the area .

59 

Visitation to the Statue continued to mount during the 

succeeding years, and with increasing public u.se came increasing problems. The old east pier where visitors landed 

was a dilapidated and lmzardou.s eyesore. The western end of 

the island remained losed to the public, for it wo.B covered 

with rubble remaining from the unfinished demolition ·work of 

the WPA period. The only buil.dings in u.se 1n that area were 

the recently constructed administration building and the two 

quarters buildings dating from Army days; the new concession 

building was used largely for storage . The thousands of 

Visitors arriving daily were therefore restricted to a small 

area in and around the Statue . Removal of litter, protection of grassed areas, and prevention of vandalism, rather 

than interpretat ion, became t he major concern of the comparatively small staff .6o 

This situation received much critical newspaper publicity during the summer of 1946. The Nel? York World-Telegram, 
successor to Pulitzer's Horld, beaon the campaign with an 

article headlined, "Statue of Liberty· in Vlretched Condition," 

which proclo.imed: 

... the unkempt conditi on of ~his revercd monument borders on a national disgrace . 

From the dilapidated, sea-worn east dock . • . to 

the grassless terrace, littered 'With partly eaten 

. fruit, sand\riches and soda glasses, t·liss Liberty's 

environs reflect l·lashington' s apathy toward a oncebeautiful shrine . . .. 

Receiving special condemnation was the lips.tick. defacement 

61 of' the structure. . This had been a problem 'during the war. 

Patch painti.ng of' the Statue interior was undertaken 1n 1945 

to cover the lipstick, but the defacement bad continued on 

an. increased scale . Superintendent Marshall tenned the 

facts stated in the articl e "basically t rue," but added that 

"the emphasis \ras somewhat more critical than is justified~ 

Similar articles, somewhat more sympathetic in tone, 

.appeared·· in other New York newspapers, and the story was 

further circulated by pr ess associations, syndicated 

columnists, and radio conunentators. The t-!onument Builders 

of' America, a trade association holding its convention in 

Chicago, also criticized the condition of' the famous National lOOnument, and urged Congress t o provide adequate 

funds for the maintenance of the area.

63 

Associate Director Demaray, intervie"ed in l'laahington, 

bl amed "the '1-rar, the shortage of materials and the lack of' 

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hel p" for l'.ll c momuncnt ':; e.ppcl'.rance, but promised that 1mprover.1ent of t he area. rould be undertaken as soon as :funds 

for t he 1947 f i ccnl ye~r became available.64 The renovation 

proeram began a few mont hs l ater! following t he allocation 

of nearly 50 000 for rehabilitation. The stairs end interior walls of the St at ue were steam-cleaned, e.nd a lipstickproof enamel, perfected by the Inertol Co . , was applied; the 

advant age of this paint was that, unlike ordinary paint, 

lipstick would not penetrate it and could be easily cleaned 

off the surface. Further protection was provided by the 

installation of woven wire guards surrounding the Statue's 

spiral stairway, preventing visitors from crawling out onto 

supporting beams to 'ln'ite their names . An additional accomplishment was the repair of the dilapidated east dock and 

construction of a new flooring. 

While these improvements were being made, the island 

was closed to visitors for 2 neeks in December, and the 

Statue was closed or partially closed for the folloWing 3 

months. On April 3, 1947, a special inspection was arranged 

for representatives of press e.nd radio, and after the reopening of the Stat ue to the publ.ic the follo\ling day lipstick defacement soon ceased to be a problem. The ~nument 

Builders held their 1947 convention in New York, presenting 

• 

a citation of commendation to Superintendent Marshall for 
his accomplishment in rehabilita.ting the Statue. At the 

swne time, a -rcaolution was passed urging Congress to appropriate sufficient funds to con~letc the tBster Plan for the 

area., thus providing "Ar~erice.' s most famous public monwnent 

With the setting of dignity and beauty appropriate to this 

symbol of Liberty that inspires millions throughout the 

wr ld." 65 

Other organizations and individUD.l.s, meanwhile, had 

also begun to agitate for complete development of the area . 

Some of these organizations had"an interest in the Statue of 

Liberty dating back to the 50th anniversary celebration in 

1936. The Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, 

for example, had annually observed the October 28 birthday 

of the Statue by a ceremony on the island; the 1946 celebre.-

tion had featured an address by Chief Historian Ronald F. 

Lee on National Park Service plans for development of the 

monument. 

Probably the most significant contribution to the campaign was me.de by Mrs. Charles C. ~Brshall, president and 

founder of the national Life Conservation Society and conservation committee chairman of the New York City Federation 

of \{omen 's Clubs . Long a great friend of the Park Service 

and i nterested in the St atue since her organization had 

sponsored a poetry contest in 1936, Mrs . Marshall became an 

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indefatigable ~orker for realization of the Master Plan. 

Both organizations in which she ~as active passed resolutions characterizing the island as "unattractive and w1th<?ut 

proper comforts, and devoid of beautification," and calling 

upon Congress to provide funds to c.arry out the planned improvements. A barrage or letters rrom clubwomen was then 

directed to Congressmen and Senators, and letters in New 

York newspapers asked all citizens to join the campaign; 

Mrs . Marshall and her co-workers, moreover 1 descended on 

Washington to discuss the problem With legislators in per66 

son • 

These activities met an encouraging response. Senators 

Wagner and Ives of New York and Congressman Buck, whose dis-

. trict included Bedloe's Island, showed an interest in the 

problem. The latter made an inspection of the area in February 1948, and his comment that "Liberty is disgraced and 

demeaned by tbe inexcusable neglect and squalor about her" 

received Wide publicity. A month later in Washington he 

Joined 16 New York and New Jersey representatives who, declaring that the Statue was "standing in a slum," petitioned 

the House Appropriations Committee for $1 million for slum 

clearance on Bedloe 's Island. Committee Chairman Jensen 

agreed that action should be taken, and in the closing days 

of the session Congress passed a $500,000 appropriation for 
the ·Statue of Liberty which was signed by President Truman. 

Newell H. Foster, who had succeeded Marshall as Superintendent 

the previous December, pointed out that although development 

of the island in accordance with the: Master Plan could not be 

completed with this appropriation, "it will bring about considerable improvements. u67 

During the succeeding 3 years the development envisaged 

by the ~laster Plan was largely realized. The major proJect 

was dredging a new channel and turning basin and building a 

new west pier. In addition, the entire western end of .the 

island was graded and landscaped, paved walks were constructed, an addition was made to the concession building, 

and a new water main was laid from Jersey City. Among the 

. improvements to the Statue itself were a heating plant to 

eliminate condensation in the pedestal, new aluminum treads 

on the spiral stairs, repair of the elevator, rewiri.ng of 

the torch, and sandblasting of lipstick marks from the outside granite steps. The uestern end of the island was enlarged by fill from dredging operations and a new seawall 

J .. 

was constructed to retain it. New employees' quarters were 

iA. 

built 1n this area (occupied in October 1952) and residence 

walks ·and a utility court were constructed. 

Operation of the area uas inconvenienced on ~~casion 

during this construction activity by breaks in w11ter, po•1er, 

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and telephone lines caused by dredging operations, Moreover, 

a violen~ storm in Novenfuer 1950 washed away some of the ·new 

f i ll, flooded part of t he island, l eaving it without lights 

or heat,· and almost demolished t he old east pier, closing 

the monument to visitors for 2 vreeks. By the end of September 1951, however, the new west pier >ras in use and the 

western end of the island, with the exception of the quarters area, was opened to t he public .

68 Other minor improvements in landscaping and walkways were continued in succeeding years, virtuaJly completing the development work origi~ 

nally planned 20 years before. 

This period also saw changes in the boat operation . 

B. B. Wills, who had taken over the concession in 1943, frequently experienced difficulties in maintaining the boat 

schedule and providing a night boat' principally because of 

equipment breakdoms . Hi s operating costs, moreover, were 

continually increasing duri ng the inflati onary spiral of the 

postwar years, although the Government permitted him to increase the boat fare, uhich bet w!!cn 191;1; and 1951 rose from 

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58 to 75 cents for an adult round-t rip t icket.69 . Another 

problem attributable to the economic situation vras the boat 

cre~r' s recurring demand for a •rage increase . A strike was 

threatened in 191•6, 1947, and 1949, and finally in J une 

195.3 it became a realit y , For t he greater part of 2 days no 

69 
visitors we~ taken t o Bedloe's Island, although service was 

provided for the staff and the families living there . AB a• 

result of negotiations in both Ne11 York and Washington, the. 

Wlion won most of its demands and the strike was over.70 

A month later Secretary of the Interior McKay annoWlced 

that a new contract had been signed with Circle Line-Statue 

of Liberty Ferry, Inc . , which would go into effect October 

l, when Wills' contract would be terminated . The new concessioner, as part of the agreement, would construct a new 

vessel and also provide a new after-hours boat. During the 

early part of the winter the Circle Line used the Sightseer 

from their AroWld Manhattan tour, but in February 1954, 

Wills' boat Liberty was acquired and completely overhauled. ' . 

The following June the new Miss Liberty, with a capacity of 

750 persons, was first put into operation, and a 2-boat 

schedule was continued throughout the remainder of the 

travel season . 7l ~leanwhile, o. further operational change had 

taken place during the summer of 1952, when the Manhattan 

terminus of the boat line had been moved from the inadequate 

Pier A on the North River to the see.\'lo.ll along Battery Park, 

newly developed and land.scaped by t he City of New York.72 

In general, all these changes resulted in improved service to Visitors. Probably the most important visitor service, an interpretive program, was also being evolved during 

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these yeo.r:;. The need i'or such n progrom had been reco~iz

ed ever since the fl:~otional Park Service took over administration of the area. . While the necessary-physical development of t he island took precedence a.t first, the increase in 

visitation during the succeeding two decades, from about 

200, 000 to nearly 900,000 o.nnuo.lly,73 c reated a greater dema.nd for i nterpretation at the same time that it made the 

interpretive problem more difficult. To this situation bad 

been added uncertainty, or even confUsion, about the desired 

objective of the interpretive program and the best means for 

carrying 1 t out . Although it was realized that the primary 

significance of t he Statue of Liberty does not lie i n the 

story of its erection and dedication, nor in the life of 

La.boulaye or· Bartholdi, the symbolism and ultimate meaning 

of the monument could not easily be put into words. 

What are people seeking when they visit the Statue of 

Liberty? The confUsion in its earl.y history as to -whether 

it was a beacon or a monument of art has taken another fo:.'111 

today. Nov the question is uhether this colossal figure is 

to most visitors a symbol or a "sight." Do the thousands 

. who on a warm swnmer day journey to Bedloe ' s Island to climb 

the 1.68 steps to the crown of the Statue broaden or deepen 

their understanding and appreciation of the meaning of 

liberty? Do they, in a \tord, experience more inspiration 

71 
than persr:l.l·o.tion·; 'l'hic is the })roblcm that t he interpretivc procrom ha.:; attempted to solve, ond the ans\1er depends 

upon nc;rcemcnt rccnrdinc the bo.!;iC significance of the 

Sto.tuc, on o.r;t-cemcnt \lhich haz been· difficult t o o.ccolllplish . 

On a sUL1111Cr Sat urday in 1928 the American editor 

Willi8111 Rose Benet, pondering the meaning of t he Statue of 

Liberty, con~mented : 

. . . There is one kind of American to 1mom 

the statue 's principal claim to fame is that it 

cost a million dollars. Emotionalists have professed t hemselves t hrill ed by its significance. 

The saturnine have insisted upon 1 ts tragic irony. 

. . . the best thin3 \le ho.ve discovered about 

the statue of Liberty is t hat nigh to her massive 

sandals ... you can buy frankfurters '<ith nru.stard. . . . l·leenwhile, you. are cet ting a lot of 

sunshine and fresh air for 30 cents . ~fuich is 

t he nearest approach to t rue liberty "~ have ever 

discovered on sea-islanded ~~attan 7 

This view of the sisnificance of the Statue of Liberty is 

neither represento.tivc nor just, but unfortunately, it does 

reflect the .feelings of those 1:ho come· to the island primarily in search of s1!11pl~ recreation . 

The confusion in the conception of the Statue's meaning 

goes deeper than this . '1'he original idea of the monument, 

as publicized by its French and American sponsors, is stated 

on the bronze dedication plaque, na~1 r.10unted inside the 

pedestal: 

A Citt from the People of the Republic of France 

to the People of the United States, this Statue 

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of Liberty Enlic;htcninc the Horl d Commemoro.tes 

·the Alli:mce of t he t\IO llo.tions in Achieving 

the Independence of t he United States of America, 

and Attest:; their Ai>idinc; Friendship . 

Ba.rthol di , a.lthoush this \ID.S his basic conception, had a 

broader vie1~ . riot only <lid t he Statue commemorate an international friendship, but i n emphasizing "Liberty EnliGhtening the Horld" it embodied t he common revolutionary heritage 

of the t•,;o nationc. With this concept of liberty's international mission was intertwined, to some extent in 

Bo.rtholdi 's mind75 and increasingly in the minds of Americans, the view t hat liberty was :;omething uniquely, or at 

least characteristically, American . This self -conscious 

Americanism was probably most prevalent during World l~ar I , 

t 

vlhen even some European cpokesmen appeared to share t his 

view of the symbo~ism of the Statue . Henry Leach, an 

Engl.i .shman writing in 1917, declared that the Statue of 

Liberty 

is America as nothing else has ever indicated 

her; and now it is the ne11 America that leaps 

from isolation in her o1m 1·Testern continent and 

flings herself afar upon the enem5es of the old 

world from which she rose ... . 1 

In this view, of course , t he r e lationship \lith France was 

subordinated or ignored entirely, and t he Statue became 

simply the symbol of the United States, an example of perfection before the rest of the world . 

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DurinG t he post \lar years there 11as a reo.c t ion against 

this vie\·1 . The /ll~erican philosopher Ralph Bar t on Perry expressed. t his feelinG uhen he called for the substitution of . 

Uncle Sam for t he Statue of Liberty as the popular symbol of 

America. The Statue, he declared., "embodies our conscious 

rectitude and inspir es our laudatory and exemplary nationalism," 'flhile Uncle Sam is "hearty·and·fruternal, impulsive 

and generous, and, above all, unself- conscious." But Perry 

did believe that the Statue had a place in American life, 

for he recommended that 

It should not stand upon the Atlw1tic seaboard, 

looking meaningly at Europe and invit ing attention to our national perfection. It should not 

be compelled to enlighten t he .rorld. I t should 

be removed to the interior, the1~ to . . . stir 

the aspiration of Alnericans. It should preside 

over our domestic l ife and not over our foreign 

relations. Thus pl aced, it Hould symbolize not 

liberty attained before. an envious and admiring 

world, but that liberty which i s our goal . . . • 77 

The original concept of "Liberty Enlightening the 

World" is seldom applied populady to the Statue today, for 

she is generally regar ded a s a welcomi ng rather than a 

propagandizing figure--the "Mother of Exiles" greeting all 

those arriving on our shores. 1bis feeling was common in 

years past, as innumerable accotmts by immigrants and re:f'ugees emphasize, and today it seems to be \{idely shared by 

Americans and foreigners alike . Probably the classic ex74 

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Bl!!:mA Lazarus tablet . 
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pression of t hi s view is found in Emma Lazarus' famous poem 

"The m~ Colossus;• which is emblazoned on a bl"Onze plaque 

inside the pedestal. Although written in 1883 as a con,. 

tribution to the pedestal fund drive, this sonnet received 

little public recognition until recent years, Now, the coneluding lines, often incorrectly referred to as the "in-·· 

scri.ption" on the Statue, are vell known: 

Give me your tired, your poor, 

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe ~e, 

The wretched retuse of your teemin~ shore . 

Send these, the homeless, tempest-test So me , I lift my lamp beside the golden door\7 

~lhen the poem vas written, James Russel Lowell was one of 

the few who appreciated Miss Lazarus' conception of the 

Statue's significance, for he wrote her: 

. . . I liked your sonnet about the Statue--

much better than I like the Statue itself. But 

your sonnet gives its subject a raison d'etre 

which it want ed before quite as much as it wants 

a pedestal •... 79 

The bronze tablet upon which the poem vas inscribed was 

placed inside the Statue entrance i!l 1903 by a friend to 

memorialize the poetess, but the ceremony received comparatively l ittle attention at the time.80 Somewhat ironically, 

the poem was generally un.kno1m and unrecognized during ·the 

years in which millions of the "huddled masses" of Europe 

were passing the upraised torch on their way to Ellis Island 

and thence to t heir neu home in America. It was not until 

75 

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the period inm~edio.tely preceding o.nd during World ~a.r II, at 

a time when the door had been virtually closed .to "Homeless, 

tempest-tost" refuaees from the misery and tyranny of the 

Old World, that the poem was revived and widely quoted . 

Since that time Emma Lazarus' conception of the Statue's 

significance has been generally adopted by the American 

81 people. 

As the interpretive program bas developed at Statue of 

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Liberty National Monument, these differing views of the 

significance of Bartboldi's creation have all received varying emphasis . Neither the Light-house Board nor the Army 

attempted interpretation of the Statue, ~d the Citizens 

Committee did little more ~an provide boat service, so 

. little was done until the Park Service entered the picture 

1n the 1930's. Even then, the monument was interpreted 

primarily as a symbol of Franco-J\Inerican fri endship, with 

special attention being given to the contributions of 

Barthold! and Laboulaye , and to the construction details of 

the Statue. In addition, some concessions were made to the 

desires of the sightseeing public, largely non-New Yorkers, 

by identifying features in the harbor an~ t he metropolitan 

area . Some of the first exhibits installed, for example, 

were a relief map of the harbor on the fourth landing of the 

pedestal and a series of orientation maps and sketches on 
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the pedestal balcony.82 

During 1937 and 1938, when the Sto.tue was closed to the 

public :for repair and renovation, and again in 1941, brief 

interpretive lectures were given to visitors as they disembarked from the boat . This service was later discontinued, partly due to a shortage o? stni':f, but principall.y 

because it was discovered that most visitors were more interested 1n getting into the Statue than in listening to a 

teJ.k about its history and meaning. Space lilllitations inside t he structure made any attempt at :formal interpretation 

of this kind virtually impossible there, as ~ras learned a 

few years later when a slide l ecture· on the history and construction of the Statue was presented for a time on the 

third landing of the pedestal. Another interpret! ve approach used during this period, ~th considerably more 'suecess, lTBS 'the installation of a feu temporary exhibits, featuring the Colmar Collection of Barthold! material, in the 

small waiti ng room in the old concession building near the 

east dock. In 1941~ a series of paintings and sketches portraying the history of Bedloe • s Island and the Statue, prepared by Guide Pickering of the area staff, vas also mounted 

there in a sWinging display case. 83 

Preparation of an interpretive plan tor the area was 

:first undertaken in 1941, \11th special attention being given 

77 
to possible exhibits in the Statue pea.e~rcal. Although it 

,;as empha:>ized· that :>pace in the corridors and l andings of 

the ·structure 'ms inadequate for nctua.l museum development, 

certe.in possible exhibito were suggested. 'l'hese included If 

displays describing the ·history of the Statue on the second 

l anding and I~ exhibits on the meaning of liberty on the 

third landing; only a fev orientation exhibits ~1ere proposed 

for the fourth or balcony landing at 1;he top of the pedesta:l, 

because of the congested. traffic conditions at that point. 84 

In succeeding years an attempt 'ms made to carry out some of 

these -recommendations. · A fe,; temporary exhibits were placed 

on the pedestal landings, but removed after a trial period . 

because of the crowded conditions on the stairways and the 

desire of most visitors to get up into the Statue and then 

out again as fast as possible; moreover, those who rode the 

elevator up to the fourth landing Here seldom interested in· 

walking dO\m severaJ. flights in order to see a fe~1 interpretive displays.85 

As the physical development of the island progressed 

after the Har, the interpretive program received further attention. Early in 1948, Regional Historian Roy Appleman 

made a study of the area which resulted in a suggested in~ 

terpretive development program. He recommended, i'irst, that 

interpretation should begin \lith a talk on the boat trip 

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f'rom the Battery to the i::la.'\d either by park per&onnel or 

by recording , f'or this was "on unrivaled opportunity to 

reach every visitor." Regarding interpretive devices and 

facilit ies \Ti thin the Statue, he made no detailed proposals 

but emphasized that the stn1cture "should be rel atively free 

from interpretive features •.. because it is cramped and 

crowded ~n all of its passageways at times of normal summer 

visitation." He also advocated a series o:f markers and 

orientation exhibits on the ~unds around the Statue, relating primarily to the points of interest in and around the 

harbor, and recommended the construction o:f a public lounge 

and interpretive center adjacent to t he new west pier. 

Finally, he emphasized the need :for a larger interpretive 

staf'f to make this proposed program function properly.86 

Acting Regional Director Elbert Cox, in commenting on this 

report, made· a worthwhile cont ribution in emphasizi.ng that 

•.. the interpretive p1~gram at the Statue of' 

Liberty should be atced directly at a presentation of' the general theme of' "Liberty" as a pri ~ 

mary objective. The identification and presenta- tion of' the New York skyline, points of' interest 

in the harbor, etc . is an incidental purpose and 

devices used for this purpose should include only 

those t o answer questions vrhich the curious 

visitor will ask . In other words, there is 

little significance or relationship between ·the 

"conception of liberty" as s ymbolized by the 

Statue of Liberty and the New York ~kyl1ne. I 

hope we do not lose sigbt of this. 7 

With the completion o:r the new west pier and the open79 
inG of t he en~it·c i3lanu t o t he publ:lc 3 years later, a. number of ch3.llSCC cncl improvements •!ere made inside t he Statue . 

Because visitorG nou cntercu t he ctruc ture tly a flight of 

cteps a t the renr instead of t hr oue;h the ol d sallyport 

corridor at t he front, the t raffic control stanchions that 

separate "levator e.nd ste.irwo.y tra1":t'ic ho.d to be rol.ocated . 

The Pi cker ing paintings and sketches Here transferre.d f rom 

the old waiting room, soon to be · demolished, to the corridor 

beyond t he el~vator . A series of 12 carved glass plaques , 

both attractive and durable , mich had been completed i n 

19.49, we re mounted i n this corridor and on the fourth landing of t he pedestal; some of these summarize t he history of 

the Statue and Fort Hood, ~-thile others contain apt .quotations by great Americans on t he theme of liberty. The Emma 

Laza rus tablet was also placed in the lo"er corridor, along 

with a glass pl aque giving a biographical sketch of t he 

poetess .88 

Other improvements were added in succeeding years . Exhi b its, utilizing the Colmar Collection and old copies of 

Pulitzer's 1-lorld, were installed in the lobby of the admini stration building . A cast alumimun si(l11, identifying the 

a rea as a National !onument administered by t he National 

Park Service, \las placed on t he pier as a temporary entrance 

s1(111 . The Statue of Liberty Historical Handbook, ~rritten by 

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Historian Benjamin Levine, was put on sale by the concessioner in May 1952. A year later, ·a brief recorded talk was installed in the elevator, warning of the difficulty of the. 

climb up the spiral staircase to the crown; while this has 

proved valuable in orienting the visitor ·and mitigating the 

confusion on the fourth l.anding, it has not served as a deterrent to the great majority of the visitin.g public.89 

Other inte~retive fa~ilities planned are a monumental entrance feature and a group of 2 or 3 interpretive markers 

along the i sland perimeter walk. 

Early in 1953 further study of the area tnterpretive 

program was made by Rogers Young, of the Washington Office 

of the Service, and Regional Historian J8111es Holland. Expressing general approval of the existing interpretive and 

orientation devices in the Statue, Young concluded that 

"very little other in the way of interpretive marking and 

exhibits should be undertaken Within the structure." He reemphasized; however, the need for an interpretive boat talk, 

and reported that progress was being made to prepare a tape90 

recorded tal.k. Nearly a year passed before the major obstacle, lack of equipment, was overcome; then two recorderreproducers were acquired through the generosity of the 

Eastern National Park and Monument Association. The recorded talk has been in operation since the summer of 1954. Al81 
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though revised several times, it has not proved entirely 

satisfactory from either a maintenance or interpretive 

standpoint.91 Efforts are now underway to substitute a · 

"live" talk, at least during the summer when additional seasonal personnel are available. . 

Probably the most ambitious plan to improve the area 

interpretive program is the proposed American Museum of 

Immigration, to be constructed inside the old walls of Fort 

Wood at the base of the Statue of Liberty. This conception 

originated in 1952 when the American Scenic and Historic 

Preservation Society first presented the idea to the National Park Service. Since it appeared to be an appropriate 

and dramatic means of emphasizing the symbolic meaning of 

the Statue ~ and since the proposed development could be combined with the accomplishment of the original concept of a 

two-level promenade atop Fort Wood, the Service was receptive to the plan. 

It was eventually decided that a private non-profit 

corporation should be established to carry out a campaign 

for public- contributions, similar to the earlier campaigns 

conducted by Pulitzer's Worl d; the :t\m'ds collected would 

then be turned over to the Service·, which would construct 

and maintain the Museum as part of the N~tional Monument. 

The theme of the American·Museum of Immigration, _as ex-

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pressed by Pierre S. duPont III of the National Committee, 

during o. meeting with President Eisenhower on August 10, 

1954, is to be the unity of Alnerica, whose ci ti~ens come 

from many lands ru1d shared in the building of the Nation.92 

The museum, in conjunction with itional exhibits on 

the meaning of liberty, wil~ virtually complete the interpretive development program for the area, and is intended to 

harmoni~e with the basic symbolism of the Statue, stimulating and enlarging the concept of liberty :lS sought, found, 

and developed by generations of Americans of diverse origins. 

The symbol ic significance, yesterday and today, of t he 

Statue of Liberty will then be cl arified, and a visit to 

Liberty Island will become a truly inspirational experience . 

In the 70 years since its dedication, and especially in 

the last 30 years under the National Fark Service, t he Statue of Liberty has been not only preserved and protected for 

the American people, but has developed into a shrine of 

freedom. That the symbolism of this monument has meaning 

for Americans, and foreign visitors as well, is attested by 

the increased visitation to Liberty Island, but the concept 

of liberty has complex connotations. Perhaps the symbolism 

of the Statue can only be described tentatively, as was recently done in an effort to capture its significance: 

The ideal of liberty, both national and 
individual, is embodied in this great monument . 

The liberty achieved by the Ame'rican· people 

aided by France, in their struggle for national 

independence, ,.,a::; in the mind of Bartholdi, the 

. French sculptor who created it. The l iberty of 

the individual from arbitrary rule, \Thether 

foreign or domestic, Has in the minds of the 

immigrants who 1 in a1-re and reverence 1 passed 

t his noble figure on the way to sanctuary in 

the free United States . To Americans of today 

the Statue of Liberty symbolizes both national 

freedom from foreign domination and freedom for 

the individual from government by laws other 

than those of his own making through his chosen 

representatives. 

Far more than any other single feature in 

the land, whether formed by nature or built by 

the hand of man, the Statue of Liberty bas come 

to be recognized as the symbol of our Nation 

and of i ts highest aspirations. As l ong as 

liberty remains a national ideal deemed worthy 

of the s acrifice , at need, of t reasure and of 

blood, so long Will it be 1-rorth •lhile for the 

people of the United States to cherish and 

maintai~ this symbol.93 

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MrSSION 66 

Mission 66 is a program designed to be completed by . 

\ 

1966 which vill assure the max~ protection of the scenic, 

scientific, wilderness, and historic resources of t he National Park System in such v~s and by such means as vill 

make them available for the use and enjoyment of present and 

future generations. 

Under this program, outm::>ded and inadequate facilities 

will be replaced with physical improvements adequate to meet 

the heavy demands of increased visitation. These improvements will be so designed and located as to reduce the impact of public use on valuable and destructible features. 

The program seeks to proVide visitor serVices of the quality 

and quantity that the public is entitled to expect. At the 

sBJDe time, it striv_es for the fullest possible degree of protection for both visitors and resources. 

With specific reference to this National Monument, 

Mission 66 vill provide various physical improvements ineluding paving of walks and terraces, interpretive signs and 

markers, vest pier shelter, enlargement of vest pier and boat 

basin, extension of utilities, and additions to the administration building. These added facilities are essential to 

the achievement of better interpretation and protection of 

the m::>nument . 85 
NOTES 

INTRODUCTION 

'1. United States Statutes at Large, vol. 70 (January .1956-

August 1956J, p. 956 . 

2. BenjBlllin Levine, History of Bedloe ' s Island, p. 3. 

3. Ibid., pp. 4-5. . 

4. I. N. p, Stokes, Iconography of Manhattan Island, I, 

;p;p. 3-10. 

5. BenjBlllin Levine and Isabel le F . Story, Statue of 

Liberty, p. 29. 

6 . Levine, op. cit., ;p;p. 23-25. 

7· ~., ;p;p. 26-28, 30-34. 

8. ~., pp. 28-30, 37-43. 

9· Stokes! op. cit . , V, pp. 1538, 1577. 

10. Levine,· op. cit., p;p. 55-59· 

l l. Levine and Story, op. cit., pp. 2-5, 13-14. 

12. Ibid., pp. 5-11, 1,7-19. 

FROM BEACON 'IQ NATIONAL MJNUMENT: 1886 TO 1924 

l. See especie.J.ly his correspondence with Lt. John Millis 

in the latter's "Report upon the Inste.J.lation of the 

Electric-Light Plant of the Statue of Liberty. • • , " 

in Annual Report of the .Light-House Board to the 

Secretary of the Treasury for ... 1887, p. 126; see. 

also Hertha Pauli and E. B. Ashton, I Lift My !.amp, 

p. 304. · . 

2. :New York Horld, March 20 1 1890 (p. 1). 

86 

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3. Congressional Record, 44th Cong., 2d sess. (Feb. 22, 27, ~8'(7), pp. 1822, 1824, 1960, (Index) 190; Pauli and 

Ashton, op. cit., p . 18o; Jennie Holliman, The Statue 

of Liberty. Part II: The American People receive the 

Statue of ibe ~y from the French, pp. 8-9 • 

4. Pauli and Ashton, op. cit., pp. 258-259, 264-267 . The 

C9mmittee first tried to obtain an appropriation from 

the Ne~r York legislature, but was frustrated by 

Governor Cleveland's veto of the bill. 

5. Congressional Record, 49th Cong., lst sess. (May 11, 

1886), p. 4347; see also Pauli and Ashton, op. cit., 

pp. 293-297 • . 

6. Congressional Record, 49th Cong., lst sess. (July 1, 

1886), p. 6417 .. Apparently no one noticed a mathemat- ical error' in Stone's estimate and Hewitt's amendment; 

the total should have been $100,100 rather than 

$l06,Ioo. See Pauli and Ashton, oo. cit., p. 297. 

7. Con~ssional Record, 49th' Cong . , lst sess. (July l, 

l ) , pp. 6417-6422; no vote was taken on Randall' B 

amendment, since Hewitt's amendment was substituted 

for it in Committee of the Whole. 

8. Ibid.., (July 24, Aug. 3, 5, 1886), pp. 7'f56-7458, 7473, 

--:r939 1 8o27. Another amendment was included in the 

final bill, providing 1n regard to the Statue of 

Liberty dedication that "no part of the sum . • • 

shall be used to procure' or pay for spirituous or in- · told.cating liquors or tobacco or stimulants or nar- cotics in any form. " 

. 9. Pauli and Ashton, op. cit., pp. 297-298. ··.-

10. Con~ssional Record, 49th Cong., lst sess. (July 1, 

1 ) , p. 6h8. ·This letter was a reply to an inquiry 

by' Congressman Belmont of New York. 

11. AnnuM Re rt of the L1 t-House Board 1887 , pp. 8, 30; 

a copy of Cleveland's letter of Nov. l , l 6, to 

Secretary of the Treasury Manning, referred to the 

Board Nov. 17, fs 1n the Lighthouse Site File--Statue 

of Liberty, Records of the U. S. Coast Guard, Fiscal 

Section, National Archives. 

87 
12. Ne1~ York Horld, Nov. 6, l88i5.(p. 2 ); Holliman, ··op. cit., 

pp. 61-65, 85-86. The agreement between the Har ond 

Treasury Departments, signed Jan. 31, 1887, and other 

pertinent correspondence is in the Coast Guard Lighthouse Site File, cited above. 

13. Report of Lt. John Millis to Chairman ·or the Light-House 

Board, Dec . 22, 1886, ond Annual Report of the Inspec· 

tor of the Third Light-House District for the Year 

Ending June 30, 1887; both in Coast Guard Lighthouse 

Site File. coggressional Record, !~9th Cong. , 2d sess. 

(Feb. 4, 22, 1 7), pp. 1 360, 2070 . · · 

14. New York Times,· Mar. 30, 1887 (p. 5) . 

15. Annual Report of the Inspector of the Third Light-House 

District ( 1888, and succeeding years); Annual Report 

of the Lignt-House Beard (1890), p. 64 . 

16. "Report of David Porter Heap, ... Upon Some Recent 

Improvements in Aids to Navigation, and a Description 

of the New Method of Lighting the Statue of Liberty," 

in Annual Report-c)f the Light-House Board (1892), 

pp. 257-268; see also Pauli and Ashton, op. cit., 

p . 304; and Holliman, op. cit ., pp. 91-92. 

17. Annual Report of the Ligj:lt-House Board (1898), p. 75 . 

·18. See ibid. , (1888), p . 56, and succeeding Annual Reports 

through 189 3 . 

19. New York Times, July l , 189!~ (p. 12); see also Conf¥,ssional Record, 53d Cong., 2d sess . (Feb. 14, 189~ 

p . 2181 . . 

·20 , NeH York World, June 26, 188"( (p . 7) . See also Col. 

T . L. Casey to Vice Adm. S • C . Ro~ran , Chai nna.n of the 

Light-House Board, Jan . 31, 1887, and the Report of 

Conference, dated Jan . 31, 1887, signed by Colonel 

Casey on behalf of the Light-Iiouse Board and Lt. Col. 

D. c. Uouston on behalf' of the Har Department, in the 

Coast Guard Lighthouse Site File . 

21. UewYork \/odd, t:oar. 2, 1890 (p. 2); Ne\1 York Daily 

Tribune, Feb . 3, 1903 (p . 3); Ne" York Times, Feb. 17, 

1894 (p . 1). 

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22 . f.iuch f r iction \!Cl!l 1~ent1oned by Cornelius N. Bliss, 

·cc.,.urcr of t he Collunittee, in t!ew York Daily Tribune, 

Feb . 16 , 1902 (p . ·n . 

23 . Cornelius !! . Bliss to Secretary of Har Elihu Root, 

Jon . 27, 1903; copy in a1~a files. 

211 . Neu York Daily Tribune, June 25 (p . 6), 26 (p . 14), 1898. 

25 . Ibid. , Feb. 3, 1903 (p . 3) ; see also letter, Bliss to 

Hoot, c ited chove. 

26 . l!eu York 1/o:-ld, Mar. l , 1890 (pp . 4 , 12); see also ibid., 

I·:S.r . 7, 1890 (p . 5) . The other New York neuspaperswere ltu·ge1y silent during the campaign, and none supported the Uor1d , t he only defense ot Hindom being 

found .in the Neu York Daily Tribune, Mar. 17, 1890 

(p. 6) . 

27 . New York 1tlorld, r4c.r. 1 (p . ), 2 (p . 2) , 4 (p. 1 ), 

5 (p . 3), 1890 . 

28 . Ibid., 1-lar. 8 (p. 1 ), 11 (p . 1 ), 12 (p . 1), 13 (p . 1), --r89o. 

29 . Ibid., Har. 11!. (p. 5), 22 (p. 1 ), 25 (p . 1), 27 (p. 1 ), 

--r890; Congressional Record, 51st Cong., lst sess . 

(Mar . 26, Apr . 5, 7, 12, 1890), pp . 2639, 3085-3089, 3096, 3331 . 

30 . Ibid., (Apr. 1, May 17, 139Q), pp . 2876, 4821-4822; see 

also ibid., 51st Cong . , 2d sess . (Mar. 2 , 1891}, 

p . 362B:"'" 

31 . See the :follouing corres!_)ondence in the Coast Guard 

Lighthouse Site File, previousl y cited; Secretary of 

Har Elihu Root to Secretary of the Treasury, May 20, 

· 1901; Tnylor to Adjutant General, Department of the 

East, June 30, 1901; Acti ng Secretary of War Nelson A. 

Miles to Secretary of the Treasury, July 10 , 1901; 

Secretary of the Treasury L . J . Gage to Secretary of \~ar , Nov . 5, 1901; Secretary o:f Har Root to Secretary 

of the Treasury, Jan . l1, 1902; ~laj . D. \-1 . Locklrood, 

Engineer Secr etary of the Light-House Board, to 

Secretary o:f the 'l'rea5ury, J an . 23, 1902 . 

32 . Secretary of !la.r Root to the President~ Dec . 28, 1901, 
approved by T. R9osevelt, Dec. 30, 1901, in the Coast 

Guo.rd Light-House Site File; New York Daily TribiUle, Feb . 15 (p. 6), 19 (p. 1~ ), Mar. 2 (p. ll), 1902; 

Annual Report of the Light-House Board (1902), p . 78. 

33. New York Daily TribiUle, Feb. 16 (p. 7), Mar. 4 .(p. 2); · 

Apr. l~ (p. 2), 5 (p. 4), ·17 (p. 2), 24 (p. 4) , 1902. 

31~. Congressional Record, 57th Cong ., lst sess. (Apr. 1 , 

1902), pp. 3521-3523. 

35. Ne~r ·York Evening Post, May.l6, 1903 (p . 10) . 

36~ New York Times, Aug. 13 (p . 6), 16 (p. 5), 1907. 

37. New York Daily Tribune, Dec . 30, 1905 ·(p. 7); Congres- sional Record, 59th Cong., lst sess. (Dec. 18, 1905, 

Jan. 24, 1906), pp. 569, 1520 . 

38. New York Daily TribiUle, May 23, 1906 (p. 3). 

39. Ibid., July 17, 1906 (p. ll), June 13, 1907 (p. 2). 

---see also letter from Oti s El evator Company to Historian Benjamin Levine, Apr. 6, 1950, in area files. 

4o; New York World, May 24, 1916 ().). 1); Congressional 

Record, 64th Cong . , 1st sess.(May 23, 1916), pp . 8490-

8492. See also Holliman, op. cit., pp . 95-97 . 

41 . New York Times, July 31 (p. 4), Aug. 1 (p. 3) , 1916 . There is no direct evidence t hat the arm of t he Statue 

was damaged or weakened by the explosion, or that it 

was closed on the advice of the Army Engineers, but 

all available inforn~tion dates the closing of the 

arm 1n 1916' and it seems lil<ely that the explosion 

served as a j ust ifiable excuse for refUsing visitor 

ac.cess t o a potentially dangerous and congested. section of the Stat ue . 

42. Ne\i York Horld, May 31, 1916 (p. 1). 

43. Ibid., Nov. 27, 1916 (p , 1); Holliman, op . c it., pp. 98- --rol. 

44. New York Times, Dec . 3, 1916 (p. 2); Holliman, op . cit., pp . 101~ 107 . 

90 

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45. New York World, Dec. 3 (p. 1) 1 4 (p. 9), 1916. 

46. ~·· Dec. 3, 1916 (p. 1) • 

.47. New York Times, Mar. 14, 1918 (p . 8); see also "Living 

Up to Liberty," Outing, vol. 69 (February 1917) 1 

pp. 576- 577 . 

48. New York Times, Mar. 4, 1923 (Sec. 7 p. 16) . No other 

. visitation figures have been found for this period. 

49. Idem. 

50. United states Statutes at Large, vol. 43, _part 2 

(December 1923-March 1925), pp. 1968-1969. 'lbe other 

military reservations which became National Monuments 

by this proclamation were Castle Pinckney ( S. C.) , 

Fort Pulaski (Ga. ) , and Forts Marion and Matanzas 

(Fla.). 

51. Circular 14, War Department, Feb. 28, 19071 in General 

Orders and Circulars, War Department, 1907. 

52. !Iillory Tolson, Roster of National Park Service Officials, 

passim. 

53· Appleton' s letter of Dec. 91 19121 and subsequent War Department correspondence is in A. G. 0. Document File 

l988693P (filed with 1.203017), War Records Branch, Old 

Army Section, National Archives. 

54 . Douglas to Commanding General, Eastern Department, 

July 16, 1913, in A. G. 0. Document File l988693P· 

55 · Bulletin No . 27 1 War Department, July 17, 19151 in 

General Orders and Bulletins, War Department, 1915. _ 

Most of the areas included were National Cemeteries . 

56. Col. H. J. Gallagher, Quartermaster Supply Officer, 

Brooklyn, N. Y., to Quartermaster General, Oct. 111 

19231 1n A. G. 0. Document File 000 . 45 (3-17-23) 1 War 

Records Branch, Modern Army Section, National Archives. 

57· See A. G. 0. Document File 000 . 45 (3~17-23) 1 cited above, 

for Cammerer'a letter to Hodgson, Mar. 17, 1923; J.P. 

McAdams, Office of Assistant Secretary of War, to 

Adjutant General, Mar. 21, 1923; AdJ. Gen. Robert C. 

Davis to Assistant Secretary of War, Mar. 27, 1923. 

91 
I l 

58. H. M. Morrow, Acting Judge Advocate General, to Adjutant. 

General, May 25, 1923; w. H. Hart, Quartermaster General, to Assistant Secretary of War, May 11, 1923; 

S. Heintzelman, Assistant Chief of Staff ( G-4), to 

Chief of Staff, Aug. 15, 1923; in A. G. 0. Document 

File 000 .45 (3-17-23) . ~ 

59. Hart tti-' Adjutant General, Apr. 7, 1924; Col. J . R. 

Lindsey, Acting Assistant Chief of Staff (G-4), to 

Chief of Staff, Aug. 6, 1924; Hart to Adjutant General, 

Oct. 4, 1924, transmitting draft of proclamation, in· 

A. G. o. Document File 000 .45 (3-17-23). 

6o. Bulletin No; 2, ·War Department, Mar. 20, 1925, Sec . I, 

in· General Orders and Bulletins, War Department, 1925. 

A NATIONAL SHRINE: 1924 TO im: PRESENT 

1. New York Times, Dec. 10, 1924 (p. 1); Bulletin No. 

Dec. 27, 1924, Sec. III, in General Orders and 

Bulleti.ns, War Department, 1924. 

2. New York Times, June 21, 1925 (sec. 4, p . 6). 

24, 

3· Ibid., Dec. 10, 1924 (p. 1), Apr. 21, 1929 (sec. 10, 

P. 11); see also Georgia S. Means, Bed.loe's Island and. 

Fort Wood, pp . 47- 48. 

4. Dwight F. Davis, Assistant Secretary of War, to Quartermaster General, Jan. 23, 1925, in A. G. 0. Document 

File 000.45 (3-17-23), War Records Branch, Modern Army 

Section, National Archives. 

5· Holliman, op. cit., p. 108, citing a personal interview 

with Simpson. 

6. Ibid., pp. 108-109; altho\18h Holliman states that Simpson 

--officially became Superintendent on Jan. 18, 1926, we 

are using the date cited in TOlson, op. cit., p . 52. 

7. Letter, dated Mar. 25, 1884, from the Centaur Company to 

William M. Evarts, Chairman of the Pedestal Fund 

Committee, published in a Castoria advertis~ment in 

Continent vleekly 1-lagazine, vol. 5, no. 115 (Apr. 23, · 1884), following p. 544 . 

92 

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8. New York Times, ~br. 2 (p. 27), 3 (p. 2) , 1926. 

9. Ibid., J.lay 9, 1926 (p . 19) . 

10. ~·· May 11, 1926 (p . 1,8). 

11. ~., Nay 111, 1929 (p. 1). 

12. New York World, Feb. 6, 1928 (p. 13); New York Times, 

Feb. 6, 1928 (p. 6); see also Holliman, op. cit., pp. 112-113 . 

13. New York Times, July 31, 1930 (p. 18), July 6, 1931 

(p. 19); Holliman, op. cit., pp. 109-110, citing 

Hearings Before the Sub-Committee of the House Committee on Ap;propriations, .War Department Appropriation 

Bill for 1923, p . 80, and ibid., for 1929, p . 53 • . 

14. New York Times, July 6, 1931 (p. 19), stated that i nstallation of the new floodlighting system would cost 

$14,386. But articles in ibid., Feb . 14 (p. 2) and 

15 (p. !13), 1933, quoted Joseph Schoenbach, a New York 

electrical contractor, who declared that he had been 

trying for over a year to collect $30,382 .09 from the 

Government in payment for his work installing the 

floodlill)lts; Schoenbach \las arrested by the Secret 

Service when he attempted to bring his story to t he 

attention of President Hoover in flew York, but was released when the facts trere known . According to ibid • , Aug. 11, 1933 (p. 17), "the army spent about $40,000" 

on the· Statue in 1931. 

15. "Beauty Treatment for l.Uss Liberty, " Literary Digest, vol. lll (Dec . 5, 1931), p. 25 . 

16. New York Times, Oct . 27, 1931 (p. 21) . The ceremony was 

originally scheduled for Oct . 28, but had to be changai 

because of the sailing plans of th~ Lavals. 

17. ~.,July 6, 1931 (p . 19), ~~Y 29 , 1932 (p . 5).; see 

also Holliman, op . cit., p . 113. 

18 . Thomas A. Sullivan, compiler, Proclamations and Orders 

Relating to the National Park Service, pp . 4-6; see 

also 5 U. S. C ., sees. 1211 132. 

19. Ibid. , pp. 6-8; i.n all, 36 National Parks, Monuments, 

--aattlefield Sites, and Memor ial were included. 

93 
20. Nev York Times, Aug. ll, 1933° (p . 17) . 

21. ~.,Nov. 12, 1933 (sec. 2, p. 3) . 

22 ~., Dec . 7, 1933 (p. 23) . 

23 . Simpson to Acting Director A. E. Demaray, Feb. 22, 1934; 

Director Amo B. Cammcrer to Silllpson, Feb. 28, 1934. 

2l~ . Ne11 York Times, Dec. 29, 1933 (p. 23) . 

25. ~., Jan. 28, 1934 (sec. 8, p. 11). 

26. The War Department letter of Jon. 31, 1934, is sUllllllarized in the letter from Ickes to the Acting Secretary of 

War 1 dated Sept. 25, 1936. 'nle Attorney General's 

opinion vas dated July 18, 1934. See also Simpson to 

Demaray, Feb . 22, 1934 . 

27. Tolson, op. cit., p o 52, Pa.lJner served as Acting Superintendent from June 1, 1934, to Feb . 15, 1935, being 

named Superintendent as of Feb. 16, 1935; on Dec. 16, 

19350, he was transferred to Fort McHenry National 

Monument as Acting Superintendent, and Oswald E. Camp 

became Superintendent of the Statue of Liberty. 

28 . Oswald E . Camp, "Report on Fi1'tieth Anniversary Yee.r, 

Statue of Liberty National t.bnument 1 " Jan . 31, 1937, 

pp. 1-2, ll, 20; see also men10randum i'rom Director 

Cammerer to Secretary Ickes, Dec. 30, 1935. 

29. Camp 1 "Report on Fi1'tieth Anniversary Year 1 " pp. 2-19, 

21-22; memorandum, Acting Director Demaray to Ickes, 

Sept. 18, 1936. See also Ne11 York Times, Feb . 9 (sec·. 

2, p . 7), July 2 (p. 23), 14 (p. 21) , 15 (p. 8), 

Oct. 25 (sec. 2, p. 5), 1936 ° 

30. Statue of Liberty Golden Jubilee Yearbook, p. 20; New 

York Times, Oct. 29, 1936 (p . 21). President 

Roosevelt's address was also published in B. D. Zevin, 

ed. , Nothing to Fear1 pp. 69-72 . 

31. Secretary Ickes to the Acting Secretary of War, Sept. 2~ 

1936. Secretary of War lloodring replied on Oct. l and 

promised consideration of the request . At some time 

during 1936 the Nat-ional Pe.rk Service drafted a bill 

to authorize the transfer, but it was apparently not 

introduced in Congress. 

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32. rre,/ York Jlera.ld-':l'ribune' f.l!l.l'. 6' 1937; Gee o.lso letter 

from Ac·t ing Secretary of t he Interior Charles Uest to 

Secretary of Hilr, Apr. 5, 1937. 

·33 . Reference Has maci.e t o the Har Department le·tter of May 4, 

1937, in Acting Sec~·etary of the Interior ~lest 1 s 

letter of May 28, 1937, to the Secretary of \~ar . See 

also Hest 's letter of July 10, 1937, t o the Secretary 

of Har. 

34. Acting Secretar.r of Interior Charl es Hest to Secretary 

of Ha.r, Apr. 20, !<lay 28, July 10, 1937; Camp, Superintendent's 1·1onthly Report for July 1937; Acting 

Director Tolson to Camp, Sept. 16, 1937; Palmer, Superintendent 1 s Monthly Report for January 1938. · 

35. Proclen~tion No. ~250, dated Sept . 7, 1937, published in 

Federal Register, vel . 2, no . 174 (Sept. 9, 1937), 

p . 1B12. 

36. Letter, Headquarters II Corps Area to Commanding Officer, 

16th Infantry, Fort J ay, Aug . 26, 1937, '1i th i ndorsement to Sereeant Rowan, Fort ~lood, dated Aug. 30, 

1937; Acting Secretary of the I nterior T. A. Walters 

to Secretary of l-Iar, Sept . 22, 1937; Camp, Superintendent's Monthly Report for September 1937. 

37. Palmer, Superintendent 's Monthly Report for December 

1941. 

38. Camp to the Direct or, Apr. 21, 1937; Cox to the Directo~ 

Apr. 26, 1937; Ne,rton, Monthly Report to Chief Architect, Apr . 20, 1937, p . 7. ~Tewton ,.,a's directed by the 

Reg:i.ono.l Office on Nar. 18 to proceed with the Master 

Plan, but recommended in a letter to Chief Architect 

Vint on ~mx. 22 that it be postponed until the 1938 

edition. By l etter of Mar. 25 , Vint concurred, suggesting t hat studies for the plan be started immediately. 

39. Ne,rton to Cox, May -3, 1937; Newton, Monthly Report to 

Chief Architect, Hay 20, 1937, p . 6. Super~tendent 

Camp, in a letter t o t he Director dated June 6, 1937, 

made recommendations for demolition or retention of 

t he various Army buildings . 

95 
40. Acting Assistant Director Ralston B. Lattimore to Camp, 

May 5, 1937; Newton, Monthly Report to Chief Architect, 

May 20, 1937, .p. 6. See oJ.so New York Times, Mlzy 25, 

1937 ( p . 8) • - . . . 

41. Newton, Monthly Report to Chief Architect, June 20, 

1937, PP• 5-6. 

42. Vint to Director, Oct. 15, 1937; Palmer, Superintend- . ent' s Monthly Report for March 1938. 

43. Master P1an~Statue of Liberty National Monument, n. d. 

Ll939 ed.1f, p. 10. 

44. Director Arno B. C!lJllll\erer to H. P • Caemmerer,. Secretary, 

Commission of Fine Arts, July 1, 1938; Master Plan· 

Ll939 ed.!7, PP• 12-13. See also New York Times, 

Dec. 17, 1937 (p. 22), July 21, 1938 (p. 23). 

45. These developments are detailed in the tl.onthly Narrative 

Reports of the area Superintendents, Oswald E. Camp, 

until Nov. 30, 1937, when he left for Kings Mountain 

NMP, and George A. Palmer. See especially the reports 

for January, April, July, and November, 1938; January. and September 1939; May 1940; April, July, and S~tember, 1941; June 1942. See also New York Times, 

July 21 (p. 23), Sept. 4 (sec. 11, p. 1), Dec. 7 

(p. 22), 14 (p. 29), 1938. 

46. Palmer, Superintendent's Monthly Report for May 1942; 

47 . 

', from 1937 to 1942. the Coordinating Superintendents 

were Elbert Cox, Herbert E. Kahler, and Francis 

RonoJ.ds. For maintenance problems see Camp, Superintendent's Monthly Reports for September and October 

1937; Palmer, Superintendent's Monthly Reports for 

June 1938 and May 1941. 

For boat operations under the Army, see New York Times, 

May 30, 1927 (p. 32); Dec. 28 (p. 35), 29 (p. 23), 1931. For operations under the National Park service, 

see Camp, Superintendent's Monthly Reports for July 

and August 1937; Palmer, Superintendent's Monthly Reports for January, June, and November, 1938; July 

1939; July and December 1940; January and March 1941; 

January, July,· August, September, November, and 

December, 1942; February, May, August, and November, 

191~ 3. 

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l18. Interview with 1·1rs. Evelyn Hill, widow of Aaron Hill and 

present concessioner on the island. 

49. Palmer, Superintendent's ~!onthly Reports for December 

1937; July and September 1940; April 1941; October . 

19'13. Contract 14-l.0-0100-70, dated Aug. 22, 1952, is 

nO'W' in effect with Evelyn Hill, Inc. 

50. Palmer, Superintendent's 1-'.onthl.y Reports for February 

and 1-iay 1938; March 1939. Agreements between Evelyn 

Hill, Inc., and the two sub- concessioners were signed 

Sept. 25, 1953. 

51. Camp, Superintendent' s M:>nthly Report for August 1937; 

~~shall, Superintendent's Monthly Report for December 

1946. 

52. These utility fnilures and their effect are detailed in 

the Superintendent' s ~bnthly RepOrts for the following 

dates: August 1938; May 194 3; July 1944; September 

1945; February 1946; June and July 1949; April, May, 

August, and November, 1950; December 1951; September 

and December 1955. See also New York Times, May 31, 

June 2, 1950. 

53 . Engineer John S. Cross to Acting Director Tolson, Sept. 

17, 1937; Secretary of War Harry H. Woodring to Secre- . 

tary of the Interior, Nov. 19, 1937; Acting Secretary 

of the Interior West to Secretary of War, Dec. 20, 

1937; license by War Department to New Jersey Bell 

Telephone Company, Oct. 13, 1948 (in area files); 

. E. J. Fitzgerald, manager, General Accounts for New 

Jersey Bell Telephone Company, to Supt. Newell H. 

Foster, Nov. 10, 1952; Superintendent Foster to New 

Jersey Bell Telephone Company, Jan. 26, 1953. 

54. Palmer, Superintendent's Monthly Reports for November 

and December 1941; June 1942. New York Times, Dec. 1, 1941 (p. 21), Feb. 8, 19112 (sec . 10, p. 1). 

55. Palmer, Superintendent's Monthly Reports for April, July, 

and December, 1942; April 1943; January 1944. New York 

Times, Aug. 30, 1942 (sec.2, p. 7); Dec. 4, 1944 

(p. 23) . 

56. Palmer, Superintendent 's 1-lonthl.y Reports for May and 

November· 19'+2; May and August 1943; August 1944; 

November -1946. New York Times, June 19, 19'13 (p. 15). 
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57. "LIFE Visits the Statue of' Liberty," Lif'e, vol. 10 (June 

2, 191fl), p. 94; Palmer, Superintendent's Monthly Reports for June and July 1944; New York Times, July 3, 

(p. l), Nov . 15 (p. 29), 16 (p. 7), 17 (p . l), 1944. 

58. Palmer 1 Superintendent's ~lonthly Reports for Mey, June 1 

and July, 1945. New York Times, Dec. 10, 1944 (p. 31); 

Apr. 29 (sec. 4, p. 9), May 9 (p . 25), June 8 (p. 7), 

1945. 

59· Charles S. ~!arshall, Superintendent's Monthly Report for 

August-September 1945. Marshall replaced Palmer as 

superintendent on Sept. 23 1 1945, When Palmer was 

transferred to Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic 

Sites. 

6o. Interviews with several senior members of' the mnument 

staff'. See also Marshall, Superintendent's Monthly 

Reports for July and August 1946. 

61. New ·York World-Telegram, June 20, 1946 (p. 14). 

62 . Palmer, Superintendent' s Monthly Reports for September 

1944; February and March-April 1945; Marshall, SUperintendent' s Monthly Report for June 1946; Marshall to 

Regional Director, Region One, June 22, 1946. 

63. See, for example, New York Times, June 21, 1946 (p. 25); 

New York Herald-Tribune, June 30, 1946 (sec. 8, p. 15). 

This publicity was summarized in Superintendent 

Marshall's memorandums to the Regional Director, 

Region One, dated July 24, 30, Aug. 12, 1946, and in 

his Monthly Reports for June, July, and August, 1946. 

For the ~lonument Builders' criticism, see New York 

Times, July 23, 1946 (p. 23). 

64. New York World-Telegram, June 21, 1946 (p. l); see also 

editorial in~., June 24, 1946 (p . 18). 

65 . Marshall, Superintendent's ~lonthly Reports :for November 

and December 1946; January, February, and April, 1947; 

Marshall to Regional Director, Region One, Apr. 14, 

1947. See also Nell York World-Telegram, Feb. 12, 1947 

(p . l); New York Times, Apr. 4 (p. 25), Aug. 19 

(p . 17), 21 (p. 25), 1947. 

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66. Marshall, Superintendent's Monthly Reports for October 

1946; April, 1-io.y, June, July, and September, 1947; 

Foster, Superintendent's tbnthly Reports f or February 

and May 1946. See also !lew York Times, l~ey 3 (p . 15), 

29 (p. 20), 1947; June 16, 1949 (p. 28); Sept. 28, . 

1951 (p. 26) . 

67. Narshall, Superintendent's 1·1onthly Report for June 1947; 

Foster, Superintendent's Monthly Report for February 

1948. See also Ne~1 York Times, Feb. 13 (p. 23), 14 

(p. 12), ~lar . 5 (p. 10), May 27 (p . 27), June 8 (p. 27 ~ 

10 (p. 24), July 4 (sec . 6, p. 12), 1948. 

68. Foster, Superintendent 's Monthly Reports from October 

1948 to December 1953; New York Times, June 13 (p . 18), 

July 6 (p. 26), Aug. 3 (p . 25), 1949; Oct. 4, 1951 

70. 

71. 

(p. 35). See also New York Herald-Tribune, Aug. 14, 

1953; New York Sund8y News, Sept. 13, 1953 · 

Palmer, Superintendent's Monthly Reports for January and 

August 1944; March- April 1945; ~larshal1, Superintendent's Monthly Reports for February, April, and June 1 

1946; April 1947; Foster, Superintendent' s Monthly Reports for February, July, and August, 1948; January 

and June 1949; November 1950; June 1951. See also New 

York Timec, Sept. 27, 1947 (p. 14). 

Marshall, Superintendent' s ~bnthly Reports for I~ and 

June 1946; J une and July 19!17; Foster, Superintendent's 

l'cnthly Reports for l·lay 1949; June 1953. New York 

Times, June 18 (p . 44), 19 (p . 45), 20 (p . 31), 1953· 

Foster, Superintendent's 14onthly Reports for September 

and October 1953; February and June 1954; New York 

Times, July 23, 1953 (p . 45). 

72 : Foster, Superintendent 's Monthly Reports for June 1949; 

August 1952 . 

73· Comparative Travel Figures, in area files. Since 1933, 

when the National Park Service 'began administering the 

monument, travel figures hav~ been an actual count of 

all visitors cominc to the isl and by boat. 

74 . William R. Benet, "Liberty--and Hot Dogs," Saturday Review of Literature I vol. 4 (June 30' 1928), pp. m I 

1000. 

99 
75. See Bartholdi 's statement quoted on pp . 6-7 above. 

76. Henry Leach, "America and Liberty, " Living Age, voL 294 

(July 7, 1917), p . 48, reprinted from Chamber's 

Journal, an English publication. 

77. Ralph Barton Perry, "Uncl e Sam and the Statue of Liberty, " CentfP.' ~!agazine, vol. 107 (February 1924), 

pp . 608-61 · . 

78. l·lelvin J. Lasky, On Emma. Lazarus: Notes on Her Life and 

~lark, pp . 2, 23, and passim. 

79· Ibid., p . 24, quoting from Ralph Rusk, ed., Letters to 

Emma. Lazarus (Columbia University Press, 1939). 

8o . Nev York Times, May 6, 1903. 

81. Lasky, op . cit., p . 37· A landmark in t he popula,rity of 

the poem, as Lasky indicates, vas the 1941 motion 

picture on the refugee problem, "Hold Back the Dawn," 

in which it received a dramatic reading. Anot her element in its recent popularity is the grovth of the 

Zionist movemen t , whtch has portrayed Miss Lazarus, 

not wholly accurately, as an early advocate of Zionism. 

82 . New York Times, Oct . 28, 1935 (p . 2l.); Palmer, Superln· 

tendent's Monthly Report , November l94o -

83 . Interviews wit h senior members of the area. s te.ff. See 

also Pe..lmer, SupeJ:intendent ' s !1\onthly Re1>orts for 

January and December 1938; Historian' s Monthly 

Narrative Reports f or January-July 1942; April 1944. 

81~ . Me1110randum of Interpretational Plan, Jan. 17, 1941. 

85 . Interviews with staff members . 

86 . Roy E. Appleman, Interpret! ve Development Program for 

Stat ue of Liberty National l-!onument, Apr. 28, 1948. 

87. Cox to the Director, l·1e.Y 5, 1948. 

88. Foster, Superintendent 's ~IDnthly Reports for July 1949; 

September 1951 . Some of the carved glass plaques were 

donated to the area by the Ladies Auxiliary to the 

Veterans of Foreign ~Iars; see Historian' s Monthly 

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Narrative Reports for January 19'19; Aueuat 1950. 

89. Foster , Superintendent's Monthly Reports for December 

1951; P..arch and Mey 1952; September 1953 . 

90. Acting Recional Director E. M. Li sle to Superintendent, 

Statue of Liberty Nt-1, Apr. 24, 1953, transmitting undated copy of memorandum from Young to Assistsnt 

91. 

92. 

· Director Lee . 

Foster, Superintendent's Monthly Reports for March and 

December 19511; March, July, and Aueust, 1955; Histor isn • s ~lonthly Narrative Reports for May and June 1954. 

Regional Direct or. Elbert Cox to the Director, Apr. 30, 

1952; Assistant Director .lbnald·F. Lee to the Director, 

Sept. 221 1953· See also Thomas M. Pitk~n, Preliminary 

Draf't Prospectus for the Americsn Museum of Immigration 

( 1955); Pi tk.in, Americsn Museum of Immigration Museum 

Prospectus, 1956; New York Times, Jsn. 29, 1955 (p . 13). 

93 . Draf't of State.ment of Significsnce for Intro'cluction Section, Master Plsn Development Outline, Statue of Liber- ty National Monument, May 1956 • 

101 
Bll3LIOCRAPHY 

1 . l·lunUOCl'iptG 

Adjutant Gcnere.J.' s Office Document Files, ~lar Records 

Branch, Nationo.J.'Archives . 

Lighthouse Site File- -Statue of Liberty, Recor ds of the 

United States Coast Guard, Fiscal Section, National Archives. 

Official Memorandums, Correspondence, and Reports, 1933- 56, in Statue of Uberty National Monument files . 

--- 2 • Government Publications and Reports 

Annual Report of the Light-House Board t o the Secretary of the Treasury, 1887-1902. 

Appleman, Roy E., Interpretive Development Program tor 

Statue o:f Liberty tlational J.lonUI!lent, Apr. 28, 1948. 

Camp, Oswald E ., Report on Flttieth Anniversary Year, 

Statue of Liberty National Jolonwnent, Jan. 31, 1937. 

Congressional Record, 1877-1916. 

~ederal RPgister, vol. 2, no. 174 (sept. 9, 1937), 

p. 1812. 

General Orders and Bulletins, l~ar Department, 1915, 

19241 1925, GPO 1 l·lashington . 

General Orders and Circulars, liar Department, 1907, 

GPO 1 Washington . 

Holliman, Jennie , The Sta ~ue of' Liberty. Part II: 

The American People receive the Statue of Liberty from the 

French. In National Park Service, Report on Historical 

Points in New York Harbor (prepared in cooperation with 

Civil llorks Administration), 19311 . 

Lasky, Melvin J . , On Ema Lazarus: Jfotes on Her Life 

and l~ork. Statue of Liberty NM, Spring, 1942 . 

Levine , Benjamin and Isabelle F . Story, Statue of Liberty Historical Handbook, GPO, Hashington, 1957 rev . ed. 

10'.! 

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l 

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• 

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~mater Plan, Statue of Liberty National Monument, 

n.d. /J.939 ed.J] 

~1eans , Georgia s., Bedloe's Island and Fort Wood. In 

National Park Service, Report on Historical Points in New· 

York Harbor (prepared in cooperation with Civil Works Administration), 1934 • 

Pitkin, Thomas ~i., American Museum of Inmigration, 

statue of Liberty National Monument, Musewn Prospectus, 1956 • 

• , Preliminary Draft Prospectus for The Americ_an......,~"'lus---:e-wn~o"'f,......I"'nmli~ gration, United States Department of 

the Interior, National Park Service, 1955. 

SUllivan, Thomas A., comp., Proclamations and Orders 

Relating to the National Park Service, GPO, Washington, 1947. 

Tolson, Hillary A., comp., National Park Service 

Officials, u. S. Department of the Interior, National Park 

Service, 1958 • 

United States Statutes at Large. 

3 . Books and Articles 

"Beauty Treatment for Miss Liberty, " Literary Digest, 

vol. lll (Dec. 5, 1931), p. 25. 

Benet, William Rose, "Liberty--And Hot Dogs, " Sat~ 

Review of Literature, vol. 4 (June 30, 1928), pp . 997, l! ~ 

Continent Wee~ Magazine, vol. 5, no. ll5 (Apr. 23, 1884), :following p. 4. 

Leach, Henry, "America and Liberty," Living Age, vol. 

294, (July 7, 1917), pp. 48-53· /feprinted fiom Chamber's 

Journal, an English publicatio~7 

Levine, Benjamin, History of Bedloe's Island, M. A. 

Thesis, New York University, May 1952 • 

"LIFE Visits the Statue o:f Liberty," ~~ vol. 10 

(June 2, 1941), p . 94 • 

"Living Up to Liberty," Outing, vol. 69, (February 

1917), PP• 576-577· 

103 

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Pauli, Hertha and E. B. Ashton, I Lift l:!y Lamp; The 

Hay of a Symbol, Appleton-Century-.Crofts, Inc., New York, c. 

19h8. 

Perry, Ralph Barton, "Uncle Sam and the Statue of Liberty," Century ~1a.gazine, vol. 107 (February 1924), pp. 608-

bl4. 

[i93~ 

Statue of Liberty Golden Jubilee Yearbook, n.p., n.d. 

Stokes, I. N. Phelps, Iconography of Manhattan Island, 

1498-19091 6 vols., Robert H. Dodd, New York, 1915-28. 

Zevin, B . D. , · ed. , Nothing to Fear; The Selected 

Addresses of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1932-1945. Houghton 

Mifflin Co., Boston, 1946. 

4 . Newspapers 

New York Daily Tribune, 1890-1907. 

New York Evening Post, 1903. 

New York Herald-Tribune, 1937-53. 

New ~ork Sunday News, 1953. 

Nev York Times, 1887-1955. 

New York World, 1886-1928. 

New Yo~k World-Telegram, 19ll·6-47 . 

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APPENDIX A 

List of Superintendents since establislunent of the Hntione.l 

t·lonument 

Nwne 

Hilliom A. Simpson 

George A. Pa.lJner 

George A . Plllmer 

Oswe.ld E . Camp 

George A. Pnlmer 

Charles S. ~1arshall 

Newell H. Foster* 

Title Period of Service 

Superintendent ll 16~25 to 5-31-34 

Act . Superintendent 6- 1-34 to 2-15-35 

Superintendent 2-16-35 to 12-15-35 

Superintendent 12-16-35 to 11-30-37 

Superintendent 12- 1- 37 to 9-22-45 

Superintendent 9-23-45 to 11-16-47 

Superintendent 12- 5- 47 to do.te 

* Also designated as Superintendent of Federal Hall National 

Memorial and Castle Clinton National 1-lonument on January 12

1 1953 . 

List of Princi~al te~retive Personnel under the National 

Park Service 

Nome Title Period of Service 

~/1ll1am C . l~eber Attendant l 933-35 William C. ~Ieber Guide 1935 to Oct . l 939 

S • H. Picltoring Guide·• Feb . 1939 to date Clarence Schultz Hist. Technician Dec . 1937 to ~far .194<> J. Fred Roush Hist. Technician ~y 1942 to l--Iar . 1943 Paul H'. Younger Hist . Technician J uly 1943 to Nov . 1945 J. Fred Roush Hist . Technici an Dec . 1945 to June 1947 Louis J . Hafner Chief Guide** Sept. 1947 to date Frank Barnes Historio.n-lC*~ Se~t. 1950 to Feb . 1952 Albert Dillahunty Historian<:·:.«- Dec . 1952 to Aug. 1954 Walter E. Hugins Historian**"· )ct. 1954 to Sept . 1956 Louis Torres Historian Apr. 1958 to date 

ThODIIl.S M. Pitkin Supervising Park July 1955 to date 

Historian 

* Became Tour Leader, January 1952 . 

** Became Tour Leader Supervisor, January 1952 . *** Although these historians \lere assigned to Castle Clinton 

National l•k>nwnent, theY. also had the responsibility for 

the interpretive program at Statue of Liberty • 

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APPE!~DIX B 

Annunl Visitation to the Statue of Libert~· 

1890 - 88,000 1943 - 321,761 

1902 - 44,000 1944 - 401,143 

1922 - rro,ooo 1945 - 501,04o 

1928 - 450,000 1946 - 549,200 

1929 - 36o,ooo 1947 - 565,927 

1931 - 2Bo,ooo 1948 - 529,741 

1932 - 206,393 1949 - 5<?4,023 

1933 - 155,715 1950 - 518,2ll 

1934 - 190,627 1951 - 591,587 

1935 - 252,556 1952 - 625,045 

1936 - 281,249 1953 - 714,345 

1937 - 319,042 1954 - 797,412 

1938 - 248,999 1955 - 739, 364 

1939 - 428,081 1956 - 796,101 

1940 - 395,633 1957 - 850,270 

1941 - 446,334 1958 - 886,000** 

1942- 303, 739 

* The visitation figures before 1932 are estimates taken 

from newspapers end other similar accounts; the figures 

from 1932 to 1951 are an actual count of visitors for the 

travel year (October 1 to September 30) , and since 1952 

tor the calendar year • 

** Estimated. 

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