To escape the heat of one of the hottest and most humid summers that New York City has ever seen, I took a hour and a half Zephyr Cruise of New York Harbor last week. We passed by the Statue of Liberty, standing on Liberty Island. The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World, which is her entire name, was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, designated as a National Monument in 1924 and restored for her centennial on July 4, 1986.
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Although I've seen her many times she never fails to take my breath away with her beauty. Her symbolism makes my heart swell with gratitude and pride.
The Statue of Liberty is made of copper that has naturally oxidized to form its familiar "patina" green coating. She stands 305ft. 1in. from the ground to the tip of the flame. She is the equivalent height of a 22-story building.
If you'd like to take an "e-tour" of the statue you can go to this link on the National Park Services web site and chose your computer connection to see a slide show and video presentations about the statue.
A photo mosaic of Lady Liberty. Visitors are allowed to climb up to the head of the statue by an interior staircase, the torch has been closed to visitors since 1916. The Statue's current replacement torch was added in 1986, and is a copper flame covered in 24K gold. It reflects the sun's rays in daytime and lighted by 16 floodlights at night. The original torch was removed in 1984 and is currently inside the lobby of the monument. Notice that the tablet she holds in her left hand is inscribed with the date July 4, 1776, in Roman numerals, which is the date of of the reading of the America's Declaration of Independence. The seven spikes of the Statue of Liberty represent the seven seas and continents of the world.
This is part of a sonnet written by Emma Lazarus called "The New Colossus." It was written in 1883 and, in 1903 was engraved on a bronze plaque and mounted inside the Statue of Liberty.
May she forever hold her lamp high! May we never forget those that struggled to come to our shores, and those that still seek out freedom and refuge in this country.
I'm linking this post to the "Mosaic Monday" event on Mary's blog The Little Red House. Please visit Mary's blog today to see her beautiful photo mosaics and also to see links to other participating blogs.
