“The New Colossus” – “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

ISSUE 43– STEVE KOVACS FUN WITH MAPS

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (August 5, 2020) – In Issue 43 of Steve Kovacs Fun with Maps feature we learn about the framing, sculpting, and assembly of the Statue of Liberty

Lady Liberty

Her cornerstone was laid 136 years ago.  She was dedicated 26 months later on Bledloe’s Island, now Liberty Island.

She is, of course, the Statute of Liberty, overlooking New York harbor.  A gift from the people of France.  She was designed by the sculptor Bartholdi and the interior supporting metal framework was designed and built by Eiffel, as in the Tower

The French built her and shipped her in pieces to New York, but it was up to America to build the supporting pedestal and to put her together again.

You might not be surprised to hear that politicians would not fund the needed $100,000.  Cleveland, then New York’s governor vetoed the funding bill and later the US Congress declined to fund it as well. 

Joseph Pulitzer, a Hungarian by birth, then stepped forward and created a grassroots funding effort, with citizens donating money, 5 cents and up.  He published each donor’s name in his newspaper.  The rest is history. 

This Colton map of New York City and its harbor area is from 1855.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Click here to visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Antique Maps & Fun Facts here on Loveland Beacon.

New York City and its harbor area – 1855 (Credit Steve Kovacs)