New York

Statue Of Liberty

In New York City, the colossal Statue of Liberty sits on an island in New York Harbor. It was
erected there in 1886, a gift from France to the United States. It is the symbol of American
freedom and American opportunity.
At the Mahoning Valley Council Scouting Exposition in April of 1951, Scouts revealed plans to erect a ten foot copper replica of the Statue of Liberty.
Then on Flag Day, June 14th, the statue replica was unveiled in Wick Park. The next day the statue was moved to a permanent location at the corner of Wick Avenue and Wood Street were [sic] it faced Wick Avenue.
It was set on a concrete base. To the right of the statue was the Rayen School of Engineering on the Youngstown University Campus. Behind the statue was the Board of Education building.
It was one of a number of replicas placed throughout the nation that year by various participating councils, as part of Scouting's 40th Anniversary. The national theme was "Strengthen the Arm of Liberty".
In her right hand was a bronze tablet engraved "July 4, 1776" in Roman numerals. A bronze plaque on the base of the pedestal read, in part, "The Boy Scouts of America dedicate this copy of the Statue of Liberty as a pledge of everlasting fidelity and loyalty."
Scouts an other interested people purchased "shares" to finance the $300 project. They were called "shares of liberty" and were sold for as little as 25¢ a share. Those who purchased a share received a colorful certificate. Robert Renner was chairman of the statue committee.
Troops shared in the maintenance of the statue after it was erected since the pigeons frequently visited it.
The pedestal was designed by P. Arthur D'Orazio and William Pesa, local contractors at that time.
At the Annual Recognition Dinner in March of 1952, at the Calvin Center, J.D. Fowler, a president of the J.D. Fowler Company was presented a miniature Statue of Liberty because his company erected the Statue of Liberty.
The statue remained in view for 14 years, and then it was stolen. No police report was ever made. It is believed to have disappeared on a week-end sometime in the spring of 1965. It was never recovered.
One man recalled, "She was there on a Friday, and Monday she was gone."
It is possible that Liberty was melted down for sale? Or is she hidden beneath years of dust in an attic garage or maybe a fraternity or sorority house? Who knows?
In 1976, Council Executive Ted Parker looked into the possibility of replacing the statue. But the foundry in New Jersey that cast those statues no longer existed.