Statue of Liberty facts: 12 million immigrants and a 1886 debut

The statue of liberty facts story starts with a gift: the Statue of Liberty came to the United States from the people of France. It was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, built with a metal framework by Gustave Eiffel, and dedicated on October 28, 1886.

Who designed the Statue of Liberty?

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue, and Gustave Eiffel built its metal framework. The statue stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, where it has been maintained by the National Park Service since 1933 as part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.

The island itself was renamed by an act of the United States Congress in 1956, and it is federally owned. The statue is sometimes nicknamed Lady Liberty, a name that appears often in everyday conversation about the monument.

What is the statue holding and stepping on?

The statue's left hand carries a tabula ansata inscribed JULY IV MDCCLXXVI. That inscription gives the Roman-numeral form of July 4, 1776, the date carved into the tablet.

Her left foot steps on a broken chain and shackle. The torch-bearing arm has its own long exhibition history: it was displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876 and later in Madison Square Park in Manhattan from 1876 to 1882.

Can you still go up to the torch?

Public access to the torch has been barred since 1916. That means the torch is part of the statue's story, but not a place visitors have been allowed to enter for more than a century.

Even without torch access, the statue remains tied to the harbor and to immigration history. Liberty Island sits in New York Harbor, while Ellis Island was the busiest immigrant inspection and processing station in the United States.

Why does Ellis Island matter in the statue’s story?

From 1892 to 1954, about 12 million immigrants arriving at the Port of New York and New Jersey were processed at Ellis Island. That number connects the harbor’s landmarks in a direct way: one island holds the statue, and the other handled the people who entered through the port.

The Statue of Liberty’s 1886 dedication, its French origins, its design by Bartholdi, and Eiffel’s framework give it a precise place in history. Add the tablet, the broken chain, the torch’s exhibition stops, and the immigration traffic at Ellis Island, and the monument’s details become clear.

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