Liberty Island Chronology - Statue Of Liberty National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) Liberty Island Chronology Early History A.D. 994 Native Americans begin to inhabit the land that is now Liberty Island. This island is one of the three "Oyster Islands" in New York Harbor, for the numerous shell beds in this location and a major source of food. 1609 Henry Hudson lands in New York Harbor and the Hudson River estuary. Europeans begin to colonize the area which includes the Oyster Islands. Occupation, war, and disease during colonization force the Native Americans to move both north and west. 1667 Isaac Bedloe, a Dutch colonist, obtains a colonial land grant for this Oyster Island. 1669 Colonial Governor Francis Lovelace confirms Bedloe's ownership of the island on the condition that it is renamed Love Island. 1673 Bedloe dies, Governor Lovelace is overthrown by the Dutch navy, and Love Island is renamed Bedloe's Island. 1674 The English take over Bedloe's Island.

1732 Mary Bedloe Smith (Isaac's widow) sells Bedloe's Island to Adolph Philipse and Henry Lane, New York merchants, to get out of bankruptcy. 1738 New York City takes possession of the island, using it as a quarantine station, inspecting incoming ships for contamination and disease. 1746 Archibald Kennedy (later 11th Earl of Cassiles) purchases the island and establishes a summer residence. 1755-1757 Bedloe's Island is reestablished as a quarantine station due to the outbreak of smallpox. 1758 Ownership of Bedloe's Island is again granted to New York City. 1759-1760 A hospital is constructed on Bedloe's Island. 1772-1776 During the American Revolution, the island is used as an asylum for Tory sympathizers (American colonists loyal to Great Britain during the war). 1776 Colonial insurgents lay siege Bedloe's Island and burn its buildings. 1784 The New York state legislature passes an act once again making the island a quarantine station.

1793-1796 The French (allies of the Patriots during the war) use Bedloe's Island as an isolation station. 1794 After the events of the American Revolution, and the rising tensions between the United States, England, and France, federal dollars are appropriated to construct fortifications on Bedloe's Island. 1807 The United States Army administers Bedloe's Island as a military post until 1937. Construction on the "Works on Bedloe's Island," later known as Fort Wood, begins. The 11-point star fort aids in the protection of the New York Harbor. It is garrisoned with artillery and infantry until the outbreak of the Civil War. 1811 The "Works on Bedloe's Island" is completed. 1814 The "Works on Bedloe's Island," is renamed Fort Wood by New York Governor Daniel D. Tompkins in the memory of Eleazer D. Wood, an army hero killed in action at Fort Erie.

1834 An interstate agreement between New York and New Jersey places Bedloe's Island (the land above low level water mark) within New York while New Jersey retains riparian rights to waters and all submerged land surrounding the island. 1861 The United States Civil War begins and Fort Wood serves as a recruiting station and ordinance depot. A small garrison is maintained at the fort. 1877 The garrison at Fort Wood is disbanded. However, the United States Army continues to supervise an ordnance post (and remains active) on Bedloe's Island until 1937. Bedloe's Island is designated as the site for the Statue of Liberty. Bartholdi in his studio, Vavin Street, Paris, 1892 National park service, statue of liberty NM The Origins of the Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty is more than a monument; she is a beloved friend and living symbol of freedom to millions of people worldwide. 1865 Edouard de Laboulaye, a French political intellectual and authority on the U.S. Constitution, proposes that France give a statue representing liberty to the United States for its centennial.

The recent Union victory in the American Civil War reaffirms the United States' ideals of freedom and democracy, serving as a platform for Laboulaye to argue that honoring the United States would strengthen the cause for democracy in France. 1870 Auguste Bartholdi, a young sculptor fascinated with the idea of creating colossal works, enthusiastically supports Laboulaye's proposed statue and becomes the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty. 1871 Bartholdi comes to the United States to promote the Statue and scout out possible sites. In his travels, Bartholdi discusses the project with politicians and publishers. 1872 Bartholdi returns to France and reports on having found interest in the project as well as the perfect site - Bedloe's Island located in New York Harbor. Bartholdi and workmen constructing a final wood-and-plaster model of the Statue’s left hand. Bartholdi is thought to be below the Statue’s arm on the left hand side. National Park Service, Statue of Liberty NM The Statue in France The Statue of Liberty's construction holds great significance, for it is a tapestry of old symbols woven together to create new meaning.

Her classical face and drapery suggest a Roman Goddess of Liberty; the broken shackles symbolize freedom newly achieved; the radiant crown represents her shedding light on the seven seas and continents. The tablet she holds, inscribed in Roman Numerals "July 4, 1776," identifies the figure as an apostle of American freedom, law and justice. - Statue of Liberty Exhibit Text 1875 Bartholdi's plaster model of the Statue, referred to as "The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World," is approved by Laboulaye. Laboulaye makes a formal request to President Ulysses S. Grant for using Bedloe's Island as the Statue's official site. The Franco-American Union is formed in France to oversee fundraising for the Statue. The Statue of Liberty's creators strongly feel that the project should be a joint French-American effort: the French agree to fund the Statue if the people of the United States fund the pedestal. Between 1875 and 1880, the French committee raises about 400,000 francs. 1876 Bartholdi begins constructing the Statue. Bartholdi completes the Statue's hand holding the torch.

This section of the Statue is sent to the United States and displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia on May 18th. 1877 After being part of the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, the Statue's torch is displayed at Madison Square in New York City. It remains there until 1882. February 22nd - The U.S. Congress accepts the Statue of Liberty as a gift from the people of France. March 3rd - President Ulysses S. Grant signs a bill designating Bedloe's Island as the Statue's site. The United States begins fundraising for the construction of the pedestal through the American Committee for the Statue of Liberty, which is chaired by William Maxwell Evarts. Bartholdi's friend Richard Butler is also heavily involved. The committee raises $125,000 between 1877 and 1884. 1878 The Statue's head and shoulders are completed and displayed for the first time at the Paris Universal Exposition.

1879 The Statue's engineer, Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, dies and Bartholdi hires Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel to complete the project and overcome various obstacles concerning the Statue's structure and assembly. The obstacles include the Statue's height, weight, unusual shape, and the high winds in New York harbor. 1880 Eiffel devises his ingenious support system: a 98 foot (29.87 meters) inner iron framework that will support the Statue's structure. 1881 The Statue's copper plates are completed and the first rivet is driven into the structure. This begins the Statue's assembly and completion. As the Statue is gradually built near the Parc Monceau, in Paris, the French people fall in love with her. She is referred to as the "Lady of the Park." The American Committee for the Statue of Liberty commissions American architect Richard Morris Hunt to design the pedestal; within months he submits a detailed plan. 1883 The Statue's assembly continues in Paris and work begins on the 15 foot deep foundation for the pedestal on Bedloe's Island. General Charles P.

Stone is appointed as Chief Engineer, responsible for design and construction of the concrete foundation and the construction of the pedestal. Edouard de Laboulaye dies. November 2nd - Emma Lazarus composes "The New Colossus" for the "Art Loan Fund Exhibition in Aid of the Bartholdi Pedestal Fund for the Statue of Liberty" - a fundraiser for the pedestal. 1884 Hunt completes his finalized plan for the pedestal, with poured concrete walls up to 20 feet thick, faced with granite blocks. The concrete mass is the largest mass of poured concrete at that time. The pedestal's cornerstone is laid on Bedloe's Island. July 4th - hundreds of people gather at the feet of the completed Statue in Paris to watch as she is formally presented to Levi P. Morton, the U.S. minister to France. A crisis occurs in the United States. The Statue is scheduled to arrive in the United States in 1885, but funds for the pedestal project run out and work on the pedestal stops. 1885 New York World publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, comes to the Statue's financial rescue with a highly successful, six-month fund raising campaign.

Over $100,000 is raised. The Statue is disassembled in Paris and shipped to the United States aboard the French navy ship the Isère. It arrives in New York Harbor on June 17th. The Statue is met with tremendous fanfare and a naval parade, but is placed in storage for a year while the pedestal is completed. History of Liberty Island (New York) - Home Home History of Liberty Island (New York) The History Of Liberty Island (The Timeline) The History Of Liberty Island,goes hand in hand with the Statue of Liberty to most of us,and we all know the island where it stands,must have a history as well. We've all heard of Liberty Island,we associate it with New York,and associate it with the home of the Statue of Liberty representing freedom in this land. Snow Roof Rakes 950 A.D. The detailed history of the island dates back as far as 950 A.D. when the Native American people would travel out to the Island to collect Oysters.The Island itself was named after being bountiful in Oyster Beds,which was a main source of food to the various tribes in the area.This went on for 100's of years.

Unfortunately,the oyster beds are long gone,and only remembered in the history books.Development took it's course on the Island through several centuries,and by the the turn of the 19th put an end to them. However,we're not here to talk about the Oyster Beds that once were.We're here to discuss the detailed history of Liberty Island.To the almost 15 acres of land,to the name,and to those who once set foot here.Lots of history here,that's kinda fun to know if you're a history buff like me. If all your curiosity is about the Island,when it was officially named Liberty Island.That was in 1956,when an act of Congress officially made it so.Even though it's been called Liberty Island since the turn of the 18th century,Congress felt it was time it was made official.

The beginning It's really hard to start at a beginning that's in most of our minds as an understanding,regarding this magnificent island.So what we'll do here is just touch briefly from the ealiest history we know of.In other words,words put to pen by others,on the interesting history of Liberty Island through there eyes.Even though some of the authors could have offered a bit more expression,and opinion on their personal thoughts.Just as we do writing history. We all know of Liberty Island,because that's where the Statue of Liberty is.France gave us this wonderful gift of friendship.A symbol known through out the world as of freedom & democracy. The dedication of The Statue of Liberty took place Oct.28th - 1886 Then in 1924 was designated as a National Monument. Now prior to all this,more history took place that we'd like to share with you. It should be no suprise to you,that the first people to set foot on the island were Native Americans.This was once territory of the Algonquian Tribes,and they visited the island for the mass oysters to collect,which was one of their main food staples.

The island at one time had the name Oyster Islands,because it was named after a chain of 3 islands,which all were used as gathering oysters at one time.Hard to imagine now when one steps foot on the island. 1500's Then some time in the early - mid 1500's the Europeans began their quest for riches,new land,adventure,and along with them explorers looking for water passages to the Pacific Ocean.I think some of you might remember the name "Henry Hudson" back in highscool,that's if they still teach some of this history anymore. 1609 He was hired by the Dutch to find the passage.Of course he never found it,because it never existed,but he did establish a colony when he arrived in New York Harbor in 1609,right along side the Hudson River which was later on named after him. The Native Americans and Europeans got along well,and in this early part of history the Europeans stuck to their treaties with the Native American Tribes in the area.Good trading took place,and the tribes help assist these new arrivals to make their lives tolerable in the new world.

1614 One such treaty was a trading agreement in 1614 between the tribes in what is now the greater New York area,and the Dutch settlers. The treaty gave the Dutch three years of exclusive rights to collect furs and hunt for pelts on the their lands. Metal goods were given in return,which helped make the Native Americans lives easier as well.Such as metal cooking pots,axes,knives,and many other various tools made of metal,and metal itself.The Native Americans prized arrowheads,and spear heads made in iron,and some copper. In the very short years that followed,encroachment on their land was rampid,wars,and disease was taking a great toll on the Native Americans in the area.So not long after that,they left the area,and some tribes journeyed to the North,and some relocated Westwards. 1664 Things changed for the Dutch as well,when the English took possession of New Netherlands in 1664,and the English & the Dutch were at peace at the time.Then renamed it New York.

The island itself was given to Captain Robert Needham by Richard Nicholls,who was the colonial Governor of New York.Then he turned around and sold it back to one of the Dutch Colonists by the name Isaac Bedloe.Talk about a strange turn of events back in the day,but one has to remember this was a valuable swath of territory at the time. Then just a couple of years later a new English Colonial Governor was in place,and in one of his conditions to the Dutch owner,was he had to allow those accused of civil crimes to live their safely.In others words have the island he owns house criminals,and also rename the island "Love Island".Not sure on the story behind why that name,but this governors last name was "Lovelace". The owner of now "Love Island"..which prior to that was part of the "Oyster Islands Chain" was now Love Island. 1673 Bedloe died in 1673,and the Dutch colonists temporarily overthrew Governor Lovelace,but within a short time the English regained control of New York once again,but did change the name to the original owners last name "Bedloe's Island".

1732 In 1732 the island was sold once again to merchants Adolph Philipse & Henry Lane. However frustration as with all the previous owners still carried over to the new owners.The city decided to take the island over to screen ships entering the harbor for possible cases of small pox,and would also quarintine those who were diagnosed with it there. 1746 Then in 1746,Archibald Kennedy purchased the island,and spent considerable time & money to fix it up,and make an attempt at renting it out,but as mentioned above,the curse of owning this island seemed to follow each owner like a curse.All they could get out of this small chucnk of land was the title itself.Could it be perhaps he tried changing the name once again to "Kennedy Island"? 1755 In 1755,the City of New York once again took control of the island for use as a quarantine station for small pox,and thus in return he ended up selling the island to the city in 1758. Then the island for some time was used for those with small pox & other infectious diseases.A hospital was built,and that was the island's purpose for some time.

Then during the American Revolution,the island was used by the British,as we shall now call them,as a refuge to colonists that were loyal subjects of the King,to offer them protection from the other colonists at arms. The island was attacked on more than one occasion during the Revolution,and all the original structures were burned to the ground. After the war,the island was granted to the French to use,and they used it as a hospital,as before to a great degree to contain infectious disease,but fate for the island always comes back to haunt the owners it seems. It once again was taken back by the city of New York,and soon afterwards it's real value as a defense post came into light. 1807 Several forts were built throughout New York Harbor in 1807 to protect New York City from invasion. An eleven point star-shaped fort initially known as the "Works on Bedloe's Island," was was built,and really quite the sight at the time. 1814 In 1814,it was renamed Fort Wood dedicated to the memory of Eleazer D. Wood,who was an army hero killed in battle at Fort Erie during the war of 1812.

Then between 1851 and 1876 Fort Hood Fort Wood served as an ordinance depot.In it's first year of opening,there were about 600 men stationed there,and was rumored to be very over crowded.I can easily see that,being the island is just under 15 acres. 1861 In 1861 operations picked up on the island once again during the Civil War,which was used more of a supply depot at the time. When the Civil War ended in 1865,a French political intellectual,who was also a anti-slavery activist proposed that a statue representing liberty be built for the United States on the island.This man's name was Edouard de Laboulaye. This monument would be dedicated in honor to the United States centennial of independence,and the friendship with France.

The French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi was all to eager to support the idea,and supported Laboulaye in this endevor,and in 1870,he began designing the statue of "Liberty Enlightening the World." Bartholdi designed the Statue in France,and in this time he also took a trip to the United States in 1871,to pick out the location for this historic gift.Bartholdi selected Bedloe's Island as the site for the Statue,it's location couldn't be more perfect for him,because he considered it's location on the island as the "gateway to America." Then in 1876 the work began,and French artisans and craftsmen began constructing the Statue in France under Bartholdi's supervision. Construction of the statue took about 6 years,and was pre-assembled in Paris before it's arrival here,and what's strange is some of the parts of this statue,such as the arm holding the torch were shown here as well,prior to being fully assembled in Paris in 1882.So some parts of this statue crossed the Atlantic 3 times. 1885 Then on June 17, 1885,the Statue arrived in New York Harbor.

Once the pedestal was completed for the statue,and with great speed the workers assembled this gigantic statue that represented freedom. 1886 October 28th, 1886,The statue of "Liberty Enlightening the World".Celebration took place,parades,music,and festivity filled the air.Flags being waved,and gunshots rang in the air.Every bell in the harbor rang with joy. The statue soon became under the administration of the U.S. Lighthouse Board,by order of the current president Grover Cleveland,but the statue wasn't created to be a lighthouse,and not a very worthy lighthouse,if one could have ever considered it one to begin with.However,the torch part of the statue was electrified,but made a horrible light house. Then Liberty Island changes hands again in 1901,when ownership is taken over by the Department of War.It's unknown to me what exactly,if anything occured there during the years the War Department had reign of the island. 1937 In 1937 some good news came for the island.Ownership changed hands once again for Liberty Island,ending up in the hands of the National Park Service. A man by the name Norman T.

Newton,who was a landscape architect had big plans for the island.One objective was to clean it up,remove the run down building around the statue,lay sidewalks,and lay grass.To really add the beauty to it's surroundings. In 1937 under the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration,gave the green flag to the National Park Service to start on Norman Newton's design.Good progress was made on the grounds of the island,but also the statue itself being cleaned up,and refurbished. Work on the island abrubtly ended with the start of WWII.When all resources,and funds were directed at the war effort. Restoration of the island took front seat again after the war,and the rash of public complaints in 1948,sped up the pace to get the island cleaned up once again.Congress appropriated $110,000 in renewed funding to make this possible,and once again the dream of Norman Newton was taking place. 1957 Bedloe's Island was then renamed Liberty Island in 1956 through a joint resolution in Congress,and signed by the president.Then in the following year of 1957,the work was on the island was finish.

The years that followed,the statue was showing the wear from weather & time.A group of French and American architects,engineers,and conservators determined that serious work was needed,if the statue wanted to still be around after the turn of the century. 1984 So in 1984,construction began on the interior,working outwards with scaffolding around its exterior. Some parts of the statue had to be completely replaced,but replaced with exact duplicates,such as parts of the torch. In 1986 resoration was finished,and the Statue's centennial was celebrated on July 4th with one heck of a fireworks show. Liberty Island,with nearby Ellis Island are part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. The only access to the island is the Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Ferry system.The ferries depart from Battery Park in New York and Liberty State Park in New Jersey. For more information on visiting,just check out the National Park Service's Website. Happy to share the history of Liberty Island with so many,and glad more New Yorkers are understanding the history in these parts as well.

Create a free website Statue of Liberty dedicated - Oct 28, 1886 - HISTORY.com Statue of Liberty dedicated Publisher A+E Networks The Statue of Liberty, a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States, is dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland. Originally known as “Liberty Enlightening the World,” the statue was proposed by the French historian Edouard de Laboulaye to commemorate the Franco-American alliance during the American Revolution. Designed by French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, the 151-foot statue was the form of a woman with an uplifted arm holding a torch. Its framework of gigantic steel supports was designed by Eugene-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc and Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, the latter famous for his design of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. In February 1877, Congress approved the use of a site on New York Bedloe’s Island, which was suggested by Bartholdi. In May 1884, the statue was completed in France, and three months later the Americans laid the cornerstone for its pedestal in New York Harbor.

In June 1885, the dismantled Statue of Liberty arrived in the New World, enclosed in more than 200 packing cases. Its copper sheets were reassembled, and the last rivet of the monument was fitted on October 28, 1886, during a dedication presided over by President Cleveland and attended by numerous French and American dignitaries. On the pedestal was inscribed “The New Colossus,” a sonnet by American poet Emma Lazarus that welcomed immigrants to the United States with the declaration, “Give me your tired, your poor, / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, / The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. / Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me.

/ I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” In 1892, Ellis Island, adjacent to Bedloe’s Island, opened as the chief entry station for immigrants to the United States, and for the next 32 years more than 12 million immigrants were welcomed into New York harbor by the sight of “Lady Liberty.” In 1924, the Statue of Liberty was made a national monument, and in 1956 Bedloe’s Island was renamed Liberty Island. The statue underwent a major restoration in the 1980s. Related Videos The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey | Statue of Liberty Statue of Liberty A Symbol of Friendship A national monument of New Jersey and New York, the Statue of Liberty is arguably America's greatest symbol of freedom and opportunity. Located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, the statue commemorates the friendship between the United States and France that began during the American Revolution. Her official name is "Liberty Enlightening the World." The statue - also known as "Lady Liberty" - has many symbolic features. Her torch represents liberty. In Roman numbers, her tablet reads "July 4, 1776," America's independence day.

Her crown has 25 windows, recognizing the gemstones found on the earth and the heaven's rays shining over the world. The rays of her crown symbolize the seven continents and seven seas. At her feet are chains, representing the tyranny of colonial rule from which America escaped. Building the Statue America and France worked together to build the Statue of Liberty. Americans built the pedestal, and the French built the statue and assembled it in the United States. In 1876 French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi began designing the statue. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the designer of the Eiffel Tower, worked with him. While Bartholdi developed the look of the statue, Eiffel worked on the framework. Bartholdi made the statue out of copper sheets, and Eiffel made the framework of steel. In July 1884, the statue was completed in France. Richard Morris Hunt, designer of New York City's first apartment building, designed the pedestal. The construction of the pedestal was completed in April 1886. In addition to the architectural challenges of building the statue and pedestal, both countries faced challenges in getting money for the project.

The French charged public fees, held fundraising events, and used money from a lottery to finance the statue. In America, boxing matches, plays, art exhibitions, and auctions were used to raise money with limited success. Joseph Pulitzer, founder of the Pulitzer Prize, was able to more successfully motivate Americans with critical editorials in his newspaper, The World, and financing was completed in 1885. On June 19, 1885, the French ship Isere arrived in New York Harbor with the Statue of Liberty. The statue was divided into 350 pieces held in 214 crates during the shipment. Over the next four months, a group of workers re-assembled Lady Liberty on the pedestal at Fort Wood on Bedloe Island, as Liberty Island was then known. Thousands of people came to Fort Wood on October 28, 1886, as President Grover Cleveland officially accepted the statue. Events in Statue History Through the end of the 1800s and the 1900s, the statue welcomed immigrants entering the United States by way of New York Harbor.

In 1903, Emma Lazarus' poem, "The New Colossus," with its famous lines, "Give me your tired, your poor,/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free," was added to the pedestal on a plaque. In 1924, the statue became a national monument. Bedloe's Island, home to Fort Wood and the statue, was renamed Liberty Island in 1956. That same year Ellis Island was included with Liberty Island to make up the Statue of Liberty National Monument. As the Lady Liberty's 100th birthday neared, the country began working to restore the monument. Starting in 1982, $87 million was raised for the restoration. When statue's restoration began in 1984, the United Nations named it a World Heritage Site. The statue was re-opened on July 5, 1986, for her centennial celebration. Visitors have not been able to enter the Statue of Liberty since September 11, 2001, but the island remains open. A fundraising drive is currently underway to make the necessary security and safety upgrades to re-open the statue itself.

Statue Statistics Height from the ground to the tip of torch: 305 feet Height from the heel to the top of the head: 111 feet Height of the pedestal: 154 feet Number of steps to the crown: 354 Number of steps to the top of the pedestal: 192 Total weight of copper in the statue: 62,000 pounds (31 tons) Total weight of steel in the statue: 250,000 pounds (125 tons) Total weight of the statue's concrete foundation: 54 million pounds (27,000 tons) Thickness of the copper sheeting of the statue: 3/32 of an inch thick Creating the Statue of Liberty - Statue Of Liberty National Monument (U.S.

National Park Service) Creating the Statue of Liberty Creating the Statue of Liberty 1865 - 1886 A sketch by Auguste Bartholdi of the Statue of Liberty as a Lighthouse circa 1880 National Park Service, Statue of Liberty NM The Early Stages In 1865, a French political intellectual and anti-slavery activist named Edouard de Laboulaye proposed that a statue representing liberty be built for the United States. This monument would honor the United States' centennial of independence and the friendship with France. French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi supported Laboulaye's idea and in 1870 began designing the statue of "Liberty Enlightening the World." While Bartholdi was designing the Statue, he also took a trip to the United States in 1871. During the trip, Bartholdi selected Bedloe's Island as the site for the Statue. Although the island was small, it was visible to every ship entering New York Harbor, which Bartholdi viewed as the "gateway to America." An unsigned 19th century map of New York Harbor thought to be done by Auguste Bartholdi.

National Park Service, Statue of Liberty NM In 1876, French artisans and craftsmen began constructing the Statue in France under Bartholdi's direction. The arm holding the torch was completed in 1876 and shown at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The head and shoulders were completed in 1878 and displayed at the Paris Universal Exposition. The entire Statue was completed and assembled in Paris between 1881 and 1884. Also in 1884, construction on the pedestal began in the United States. National Park Service, Statue of Liberty NM Craftsmen working on the construction of the Statue of Liberty in Paris. National Park Service, Statue of Liberty NM The assembly of the Statue in Paris which occurred between 1881 and 1884. An illustration of crates containing the Statue of Liberty moving from the French Navy ship Isère to lighters. The lighters were then transported to Bedloe’s Island. National Park Service, Statue of Liberty NM To the United States After the Statue was presented to Levi P Morton, the U.S.

minister to France, on July 4, 1884 in Paris, it was disassembled and shipped to the United States aboard the French Navy ship, Isère. The Statue arrived in New York Harbor on June 17, 1885, and was met with great fanfare. Unfortunately, the pedestal for the Statue was not yet complete and the entire structure was not reassembled on Bedloe's Island until 1886. Construction on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty on Bedloe’s Island. National Park Service, Statue of Liberty NM An illustration of the “rise” of the Statue of Liberty from Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, October 17, 1885. National Park Service, Statue of Liberty NM Assembly Once the pedestal was completed in 1886, the Statue was reassembled with surprising speed by a fearless construction crew - many of whom were new immigrants. The first piece of the Statue to be reconstructed was Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel's iron framework. The rest of the Statue's elements followed without the use of scaffolding - all construction materials were hoisted up by steam driven cranes and derricks.

In order to sculpt the Statue's skin Eiffel used the repoussé technique developed by Eugene Viollet-le-Duc. This technique was the process of molding light-weight copper sheets by hammering them onto the Statue's hallowed wooden framework. The last section to be completed was the Statue of Liberty's face which remained veiled until the Statue's dedication. Although Fort Wood remained on Bedloe's Island, it was not an obstacle in the design, construction, or reassembly of the Statue of Liberty. Instead, the star-shaped structure became a part of the Statue's base - the pedestal sits within its walls. National Park Service, Statue of Liberty NM Construction workers who assembled the Statue on Bedloe's Island. Many of these workers were new immigrants. National Park Service, Statue of Liberty NM An illustration of the Statue being reconstructed on its pedestal on Bedloe's Island. The Statue amidst smoke from a gun salute during the Statue’s unveiling on October 28, 1886. National Park Service, Statue of Liberty NM Unveiled On October 28, 1886, the statue of "Liberty Enlightening the World" was officially unveiled.

The day's wet and foggy weather did not stop some one million New Yorkers from turning out to cheer for The Statue of Liberty. Parades on land and sea honored the Statue while flags and music filled the air and the official dedication took place beneath the colossus "glistening with rain." When it was time for Bartholdi to release the tricolor French flag that veiled Liberty's face, a roar of guns, whistles, and applause sounded. 10 Things You Didn't Know About the Statue of Liberty (She Was Almost Gold!) 10 Things You Didn't Know About the Statue of Liberty (She Was Almost Gold!) July 2, 2014 – 9:50 AM 10 Awe-Inspiring Military Monuments to Visit on the 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) In honor of the Fourth of July, we asked Elizabeth Mitchell, author of the new book Liberty’s Torch , an account of the Statue of Liberty’s bumpy history and the life of her creator, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, to reveal some little-known facts about America’s most famous monument.

(Hulton Archive/Getty Images) Every year, New York hosts the largest July 4th fireworks display in the country. This year, the blasts will be going off from the Brooklyn Bridge and the waters around the Statue of Liberty as Lady Liberty gazes out in her usual imperturbable fashion. We take this icon for granted—the perfect backdrop for celebrations of American patriotism. But few people know the fascinating story of how she came to be, and how one quirky visionary, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, battled naysayers, engineering impossibilities, and a raging storm during transport to put the Lady on her feet in New York harbor. My new book, Liberty’s Torch: The Great Adventure to Build the Statue of Liberty, tells the improbable journey of the statue from one artist’s whimsical inspiration to the feverish labors of supporters from Gustave Eiffel to Mark Twain to the penny donors of old New York tenements. Here are just 10 of the little-known facts about America’s colossus: 1. The Statue of Liberty was not a gift from France to America. We have all heard the shorthand that implies that the statue was exchanged government to government.

In fact, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, a mid-career statue maker, decided to pitch a country he had never visited before on his vision to build a massive lighthouse in the shape of a woman. In his diaries and letters, he described his journey to all corners of America, from Niagara Falls to Washington, D.C., from Chicago to Los Angeles, to explore this exotic land and drum up support. When no significant government funding emerged, he contrived every possible fundraising strategy himself. He put on spectacles of wonder in Paris, charged visitors admission to watch the statue’s construction in a dusty workshop, sold souvenirs, and petitioned the French government to let him run a national lottery. In the end it was Joseph Pulitzer, the American newspaper magnate, who helped him finish the job by printing the names of every person who donated even a penny to the cause. This strategy rapidly boosted the circulation of Pulitzer’s newspaper when readers bought a copy simply to see their names in the paper—a brilliant marketing strategy. (Getty Images) 2. The Statue was originally designed for the Suez Canal in Egypt. Bartholdi did not craft the basic design of Liberty specifically for America.

As a young man, he had visited Egypt and was enchanted by the project underway to dig a channel between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. At Paris world’s fair of 1867, he met with the Khedive, the leader of Egypt, and proposed creating a work as wondrous as the pyramids or sphinxes. He then designed a colossal woman holding up a lamp and wearing the loose fitting dress of a fellah, a slave, to stand as a lighthouse at the entrance of the Suez Canal. The Egypt deal fell through, so Bartholdi decided to adventure to America to pitch his colossus. 3. Americans were very slow to welcome Bartholdi’s statue. So how excited were Americans about the possibility of giving a home to this new monument? Initial fundraising and support was extremely lackluster. It took about 15 years, with the statue completed and assembled in a neighborhood of Paris, before the American citizenry finally began to embrace it. 4. The statue’s torch was exhibited in Philadelphia—and she almost ended up there.

The torch was exhibited to great success at the 1876 world’s fair in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia; fairgoers paid admission to climb up into the torch and take in the view from the top. With the funds raised from that exhibit, Bartholdi finally had enough capital to build the statue’s head. He was so pleased with Philadelphia’s reception to the statue that for a time he considered giving it to them instead of New York. 5. The Statue of Liberty also nearly went to Boston. In 1882, when the statue was well under construction in Paris, but fundraising efforts were stalling in New York, Boston made a play to get the statue. Proving that nothing motivates New Yorkers so well as rivalry, the New York Times retorted in an editorial: “[Boston] proposes to take our neglected statue of Liberty and warm it over for her own use and glory. Boston has probably again overestimated her powers. This statue is dear to us, though we have never looked upon it, and no third rate town is going to step in and take it from us. Philadelphia tried to do that in 1876, and failed. Let Boston be warned . . .

that she can’t have our Liberty … that great light-house statue will be smashed into … fragments before it shall be stuck up in Boston Harbor.” 6. New York City’s Central Park and Prospect Park were both considered as locations. When Bartholdi first arrived in New York in 1871, he considered Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and the newly constructed Central Park as possible locations for the statue. Had he chosen to build the Statue of Liberty in Central Park, the famed Dakota apartment building would not even have reached to her big toe. (Getty Images) 7. The statue was originally supposed to be a lighthouse. When Ulysses Grant authorized the use of Bedloe Island (now Liberty Island) for the statue, he specified that the Statue of Liberty would be a lighthouse. That would give the Lady a purpose, and therefore, would merit government funding. However, the engineers were never able to successfully light it enough to serve that purpose—a cause of extreme frustration for Bartholdi. Over time, it would be clear that the site of Bedloe’s Island was too far inland for it to be a good position for a lighthouse, anyway. 8. Bartholdi planned for the statue to be covered in gold.

In order to make the statue visible after dark, Bartholdi proposed that Americans raise the money to gild her. However, given how daunting and arduous a task it had been to gather even enough money to place the statue in New York harbor, no one followed through on paying the enormous cost of covering the massive statue in gold. 9. Thomas Edison once had plans to make the statue talk. When Edison introduced the phonograph to the public in 1878, he told the newspapers that he was designing a “monster disc ” for the interior of the Statue of Liberty that would allow the statue to deliver speeches that could be heard up to the northern part of Manhattan and across the bay. Thankfully, no one pursued that strange promise, which would have led to the odd experience of walking in New York and suddenly hearing the Statue of Liberty “talking.” 10. Suffragettes protested the unveiling of the statue. When it was unveiled in October 1886, women’s rights groups lamented that an enormous female figure would stand in New York harbor representing liberty, when most American women had no liberty to vote.

Only two women attended the actual unveiling on what is now known as Liberty Island: Bartholdi’s wife, and the 13-year-old daughter of Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French engineer who had designed the Suez Canal. The wives of the American Committee members were forced to watch the proceedings from a navy vessel off the island. Suffragettes chartered a boat to circle the island during the unveiling. They blasted protest speeches, but those could not be heard over the din of steam whistles and cannon blasts in the harbor. There's a discussion among 16 members. Press "Read Comments" to view. Leave A Comment Uh-oh! Empty comment.It looks as though you’ve already said that.You seem to be logged out. Refresh your page, login and try again.Whoops! Sorry, comments are currently closed. You are posting comments too quickly. Slow down. Login Statue of Liberty - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com Statue of Liberty A+E Networks Introduction The Statue of Liberty was a joint effort between France and the United States, intended to commemorate the lasting friendship between the peoples of the two nations.

The French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi created the statue itself out of sheets of hammered copper, while Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, the man behind the famed Eiffel Tower, designed the statue’s steel framework. The Statue of Liberty was then given to the United States and erected atop an American-designed pedestal on a small island in Upper New York Bay, now known as Liberty Island, and dedicated by President Grover Cleveland in 1886. Over the years, the statue stood tall as millions of immigrants arrived in America via nearby Ellis Island; in 1986, it underwent an extensive renovation in honor of the centennial of its dedication. Today, the Statue of Liberty remains an enduring symbol of freedom and democracy, as well as one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks. Google Origins of the Statue of Liberty Around 1865, as the American Civil War drew to a close, the French historian Edouard de Laboulaye proposed that France create a statue to give to the United States in celebration of that nation’s success in building a viable democracy.

The sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, known for largescale sculptures, earned the commission; the goal was to design the sculpture in time for the centennial of the Declaration of Independence in 1876. The project would be a joint effort between the two countries–the French people were responsible for the statue and its assembly, while the Americans would build the pedestal on which it would stand–and a symbol of the friendship between their peoples. Did You Know? The base of the Statue of Liberty's pedestal contains exhibits on the monument's history, including the original 1886 torch. Visitor access to the Statue of Liberty's torch was halted for good after German operatives set off an explosion on the nearby Black Tom peninsula in July 1916, during World War I. Due to the need to raise funds for the statue, work on the sculpture did not begin until 1875. Bartholdi’s massive creation, titled “Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World,” depicted a woman holding a torch in her raised right hand and a tablet in her left, upon which was engraved “July 4, 1776,” the adoption date of the Declaration of Independence.

Bartholdi, who was said to have modeled the woman’s face after that of his mother, hammered large copper sheets to create the statue’s “skin” (using a technique called repousse). To create the skeleton on which the skin would be assembled, he called on Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, designer of Paris’ Eiffel Tower . Along with Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, Eiffel built a skeleton out of iron pylon and steel that allowed the copper skin to move independently, a necessary condition for the strong winds it would endure in the chosen location of New York Harbor. Statue of Liberty: Assembly and Dedication While work went on in France on the actual statue, fundraising efforts continued in the United States for the pedestal, including contests, benefits and exhibitions. Near the end, the leading New York newspaperman Joseph Pulitzer used his paper, the World, to raise the last necessary funds. Designed by the American architect Richard Morris Hunt, the statue’s pedestal was constructed inside the courtyard of Fort Wood, a fortress built for the War of 1812 and located on Bedloe’s Island, off the southern tip of Manhattan in Upper New York Bay.

In 1885, Bartholdi completed the statue, which was disassembled, packed in more than 200 crates, and shipped to New York, arriving that June aboard the French frigate Isere. Over the next four months, workers reassembled the statue and mounted it on the pedestal; its height reached 305 feet (or 93 meters), including the pedestal. On October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland officially dedicated the Statue of Liberty in front of thousands of spectators. The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island In 1892, the U.S. government opened a federal immigration station on Ellis Island , located near Bedloe’s Island in Upper New York Bay. Between 1892 and 1954, some 12 million immigrants were processed on Ellis Island before receiving permission to enter the United States. From 1900-14, during the peak years of its operation, some 5,000 to 10,000 people passed through every day. Looming above New York Harbor nearby, the Statue of Liberty provided a majestic welcome to those passing through Ellis Island.

On a plaque at the entrance to the statue’s pedestal is engraved a sonnet called “The New Colossus,” written in 1883 by Emma Lazarus as part of a fundraising contest. Its most famous passage speaks to the statue’s role as a welcoming symbol of freedom and democracy for the millions of immigrants who came to America seeking a new and better life: “Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free/The wretched refuse of your teeming shore/Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me/I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” The Statue of Liberty Over the Years Until 1901, the U.S. Lighthouse Board operated the Statue of Liberty, as the statue’s torch represented a navigational aid for sailors. After that date, it was placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. War Department due to Fort Wood’s status as a still-operational army post. In 1924, the federal government made the statue a national monument, and it was transferred to the care of the National Parks Service in 1933.

In 1956, Bedloe’s Island was renamed Liberty Island, and in 1965, more than a decade after its closure as a federal immigration station, Ellis Island became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. By the early 20th century, the oxidation of the Statue of Liberty’s copper skin through exposure to rain, wind and sun had given the statue a distinctive green color, known as verdigris. In 1984, the statue was closed to the public and underwent a massive restoration in time for its centennial celebration. Even as the restoration began, the United Nations designated the Statue of Liberty as a World Heritage Site. On July 5, 1986, the Statue of Liberty reopened to the public in a centennial celebration. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Liberty Island closed for 100 days; the Statue of Liberty itself was not reopened to visitor access until August 2004. In July 2009, the statue’s crown was again reopened to the public, though visitors must make a reservation to climb to the top of the pedestal or to the crown. Tags

Question: What is the name of the statue that was unveiled in October 1886, on Bedloe Island?
Answer: Liberty Enlightening The World