Lady Liberty's Torch

Do you know why Lady Liberty's torch has been closed to the public since 1916?

Lady Liberty, officially named Liberty Enlightening the World, was designed by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, a Frenchman who conceived the idea of building a colossal statue as a gift to America. It was meant to celebrate and honor the shared love of liberty that bonded the French and American people. Lady Liberty stands 305 feet tall on an 89-foot pedestal set atop a star-shaped foundation.

The Statue of Liberty's pedestal is built on the remains of Fort Wood, originally part of a chain of defenses protecting New York City and its vital harbor. Constructed between 1808 and 1811, the fort was shaped like an eleven-pointed star and served as an army post until 1937.

Bartholdi, a trained architect and talented sculptor, took the initiative to design the statue. He raised funds in both France and the U.S. to bring his vision to life. Construction began in 1870. Using sheets of hammered copper to form the statue, Bartholdi collaborated with Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame), who designed the steel framework. The statue was intended as a monument to the Franco-American alliance of 1778, forged during the fight for liberty.

The statue was initially intended to be presented to the U.S. in 1876 to honor the centennial of the Declaration of Independence, but the massive project required more time. By 1878, Liberty's head was completed and displayed at the Paris World's Fair.

Lady Liberty was officially dedicated by President Grover Cleveland on October 28, 1886. At the time, the statue was not green; the copper had not yet oxidized, a process that took about 30 years. The statue's full title, Liberty Enlightening the World, is inscribed on the tablet in her left hand, which bears the date "JULY IV MDCCLXXVI" (July 4, 1776), commemorating the Declaration of Independence.

The poem The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus, closely associated with Lady Liberty, was not part of the statue's dedication in 1886. Lazarus wrote the poem in 1883 at the request of the pedestal fundraising committee. It was included in a collection of poems published to help raise funds for the pedestal. In 1901, Georgina Schuyler discovered the poem in a used bookstore and was so moved by its message that she worked to have a plaque inscribed with its now-famous lines. The plaque was placed inside the pedestal in 1903 and is currently displayed in the Statue of Liberty Museum.

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Emma Lazarus passed away in 1887, years before her poem became permanently associated with the statue. The Statue of Liberty was designated a National Monument in 1924, and since 1933, it has been cared for by the National Park Service.

Originally, both the torch and the crown were open to the public. However, after the Black Tom explosion on July 30, 1916, the torch was permanently closed.

What was the Black Tom explosion? According to an article in Smithsonian magazine, America had been selling large quantities of munitions to Britain despite officially remaining neutral during World War I. Black Tom Island, near Liberty Island, was a major munitions depot where 50 tons of TNT and 69 railroad freight cars held over 1,000 tons of ammunition awaiting shipment to Britain and France.

At 2:00 a.m., an explosion equivalent to a 5.5 magnitude earthquake rocked the area. People in Manhattan, New Jersey, and Brooklyn were jolted awake. Heavy plate-glass windows shattered, and ash filled the air. Observers reported munitions shells launching into the air and exploding as far as a mile from Black Tom Island.

Dozens were injured, and fewer than ten people are believed to have died. Initially, the explosion was thought to have been caused by careless handling of smudge pots lit to repel mosquitoes. Years of investigation later revealed that German operatives were responsible.

Lady Liberty's torch has remained closed to the public ever since. The explosion was believed to have weakened the arm holding the torch. During an extensive renovation in 1986 to mark the centennial of the statue's dedication, a new torch was installed. The copper flame was covered in 24-karat gold, and the original torch was moved to the Pedestal lobby for display. The new torch has never been opened to the public.

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Liberty Island was closed for 100 days. The Statue of Liberty itself reopened in August 2004, and in July 2009, the crown was again made accessible to visitors with reservations to climb to the pedestal or crown.

Today, about four million people visit the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island annually. Known worldwide as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy, Lady Liberty continues to inspire visitors from around the globe.