Statue of Liberty

Mural and Statue Safari Stop #6

The Boy Scouts of America called it a crusade to "strengthen the arm of liberty." In celebration of the organization's 40th anniversary, more than 200 replicas of the Statue of Liberty -- all made of copper like the original model, but standing just 8 feet, 4 inches tall as opposed to 305 feet -- were created by a Midwestern manufacturing firm between 1949 and 1952. The Scouts made it their mission to distribute these "Little Sisters of Lady Liberty" as far and wide as possible, gifting them to communities in more than 30 states and the U.S. territory of Guam. 

Leavenworth native and Boy Scout Council member Edward Mura was instrumental in securing a statue for the First City. It was dedicated on the south lawn of City Hall on July 4, 1950, unveiled in front of a crowd of 1,000 that included the commandant of the Command and General Staff College, the Fort Leavenworth Army band and the Boy Scouts' Kaw Council. Like the original, she was placed on an 11-point, star-shaped base, though her pedestal is made of native limestone.

In early 2001, Leavenworth was awarded a conservation grant for some much-needed repairs to the statue. When a stonemason's inspection revealed the grant wouldn't cover the cost of damage caused by 50 years of exposure to the elements, a community fundraising campaign was launched to collect an extra $15,000. Donations surged after the events of September 11 and, by mid-2002, the statue fund had secured more than $21,000. (Special thanks to the 50 preschoolers whose "God Bless the U.S.A." recital at the downtown Performing Arts Center raised almost $1,000 in a single performance.)

Lady Liberty was on the move in March 2002, removed from her pedestal and relocated to a garage bay in City Hall. A conservator from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art got to work polishing away corrosion, patching cracks and adding a protective acrylic coating to ward off rough weather. When the statue made her second grand debut on July 4, 2002, she was again met with a crowd made up of Fort Leavenworth commanding generals, Boy Scouts of America leaders and longtime Leavenworth residents eager to see her raise her torch once again.