Lady Liberty’s Hometown

E Liberty

A lot of tourists say that they visited New York and saw the Statue of Liberty. Many of them don’t realize that Lady Liberty is in the waters of Jersey City, Hudson County. Liberty Island is a scant 2000 feet east of Liberty State Park in the Jersey City area. Since she is so near, let’s take a closer look at her.

 

Most people know that the Statue was a gift to America from France on the occasion of our centennial. The President of the United States was authorized by Congress to accept such a huge gift, and the War Department was put in charge of construction of the base. When the statue was brought here by the French frigate Isere, we weren’t quite ready for her. The various sections were stored in crates for 11 months waiting for the pedestal to be completed. This was accomplished on April 22, 1886. The assembling of the statue process took about 4 months. Finally, President Cleveland unveiled her on October 28, 1886.

 

Here’s a breakdown of the 305 feet, 1 inch height of the monument. The foundation at ground level is 65 feet high. The pedestal is 89 feet high. From her heel to the top of her head, she is 111 feet, 1 inch tall.  The head, which is 17 feet, 3 inches in height was exhibited at the Paris World’s Fair in 1878. Her right arm is 42 feet long. The length of her nose is 4 feet, six inches.

 

She’s no lightweight, either. Lady Liberty weighs a whopping 450,000 pounds. There are 250,000 pounds of steel, and 60,000 pounds of copper. The copper sheeting is 3/32 of an inch thick. The tablet she holds is 23 feet, 7 inches long, 13 feet, 7 inches wide, and 2 feet thick.

 

The United States Park Police provide protection for the Island. In the event of a fire, while the National Park Service Fire Brigade is the official firefighting unit for the island, the maintain a mutual aid agreement with the New Your City Fire Department. Emergency medical services are oversee by National Park Service Emergency Medical Technicians, augmented by transport agreements with Jersey City Medical Center Ambulances.

 

So you see, New Jersey is very important in the life of Lady Liberty. Have you visited her lately?

 

Eddie

 

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