This blog contains excerpts from the book titled, Friendship & Freedom: The Story of the Statue of Liberty.
This book is the first in the American Icons series. Book two is tentatively titled Granite Giants: The Story of Mount Rushmore and should be available for purchase by early next year.
The Statue of Liberty stands as one of America’s most familiar symbols—a towering green figure greeting visitors to New York’s harbor. Gifted to Americans by France in 1886, she quickly became more than a monument; she became a national icon of hope.
Though she is one of the most photographed landmarks on Earth, Lady Liberty still has secrets to share. Beyond her iconic torch and sea‑green glow lies a history full of little‑known details that make her story even more fascinating.
Whether you’re a history buff, a trivia lover, or just someone who enjoys a good “wait, really?” moment, here are six fun facts that reveal a whole new side of Lady Liberty.
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1. The Statue’s original design was intended for the Suez Canal
Construction began on the Suez Canal in 1859, and it needed a lighthouse to guide the ships. A call was made for design proposals. Frederic Bartholdi submitted his idea titled Egypt Carrying the Light to Asia for consideration, along with several other sculptors. His design was “… inspired by the ancient statue, Colossus of Rhodes, the design depicted an Arabian peasant woman wearing a veil and dressed in a robe. In her hand was a lantern which would serve as the beacon for the lighthouse.” (excerpt from Wilhelm, J. (2020). Friendship and Freedom: The Story of the Statue of Liberty. An Idea Takes Shape, the Statue’s Design (page 20). Wildrose Media: USA.
Unfortunately for Mr. Bartholdi, Egypt decided on a less elaborate, less expensive proposal for the Suez Canal’s lighthouse. French builder Francois Coignet’s 56-meter (184 feet) Port Said Lighthouse was completed in 1869 and still stands today. (In contrast, the Statue of Liberty measures 93 meters (305 feet).
When Egypt declined the project, Bartholdi reimagined the idea for the United States. He reworked the design to represent the ideals of liberty and democracy. He preserved the original lighthouse inspiration, but the statue’s meaning expanded from guiding ships to symbolically enlightening the world. He titled this redesign, Liberty Enlightening the World.
2. Bedloe’s Island was not the only site considered
Arriving in New York Harbor for the first time, Bartholdi realized that the entrance to the nation’s busiest port offered the perfect setting for a monumental figure holding a torch. However,
“To be thorough in his search, Bartholdi examined other possible locations for the statue, including Battery Park and Central Park. Noting that the tall buildings would partially obscure the statue, he concluded Bedloe’s Island was indeed the best choice. From there his massive monument would be visible for miles in all directions.”
(excerpt from Wilhelm, J. (2020). Friendship and Freedom: The Story of the Statue of Liberty. A Visit to America (page 23). Wildrose Media: USA.
3. Liberty Island has a long, layered history
The island was originally inhabited by the Lenape Nations who used it for fishing and harvesting oysters. When they arrived in the early 1600’s, Dutch settlers renamed it Love Island. In 1667 the island was sold to dutchman Isaac Bedloe, and it was again renamed, this time for its new owner. It was sold in 1732 to New York merchants. In 1746 it became a private summer retreat, then was purchased by the City of New York in 1758.
The island spent centuries serving practical, often unglamorous purposes. It was used as a quarantine station for smallpox patients, and it served as a military asylum for colonists loyal to Britain during the American Revolution. In 1807 Fort Wood was built on the island, a military post used during the war of 1812. In 1877 President Grant approved Bedloe’s Island as the statue’s building site.
The Statue of Liberty sits on Fort Wood’s massive 11-point star-shaped stone walls.
When the Statue of Liberty was installed at Fort Wood, Bedloe’s Island transformed from a utilitarian outpost into the home of one of America’s most iconic landmarks.
Bedloe’s Island was officially renamed Liberty Island in 1956.
4. The idea was not immediately accepted
In 1871 Frederic Bartholdi traveled to America to gain support and excitement for his statue. It was a hard sell.
While he met with many rich and influential men, including Brigham Young and President Grant, most were not thrilled with Bartholdi’s idea. Still rebuilding after the civil war, they were reluctant to commit any money to fund his project.
Determined to the gain support of these men, Bartholdi decided to give the statue as a gift from France to the American people. This gift would commemorate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1876.
Back home in France, the Franco-American Union club members happily backed Bartholdi’s project and devoted themselves to raising money to fund the statue.
5. Fundraising was difficult
By 1883 the Statue of Liberty was nearly completed in France. She stood tall amongst the Paris streets. One of the biggest obstacles to bringing it to America wasn’t engineering, it was money. While Bartholdi was gifting the statue to America, he expected the pedestal to be both funded and built by Americans. The American public were only mildly interested in Bartholdi’s endeavor and the U.S. government refused to pay for the pedestal, leaving the project stalled.
Lazarus’s poem (see #4 below) helped shift public perception at a critical moment, but it was only one part of a broader, determined fundraising campaign. The most influential effort came from Joseph Pulitzer, publisher of The New York World, who launched a nationwide appeal urging ordinary Americans—not wealthy elites—to donate whatever they could. He promised to print the name of every contributor, even those who gave just a few cents.
This grassroots strategy worked: more than 120,000 people donated, many of them schoolchildren, laborers, and immigrants who felt personally connected to the statue’s message. Together, Lazarus’s poetic vision and Pulitzer’s populist campaign transformed a stalled project into a national cause. Their combined efforts ensured the pedestal was completed, allowing the statue to be assembled on American soil. Lady Liberty was officially unveiled on October 28, 1886 – not July 4th, 1776 as originally hoped.
6. The Poem
Emma Lazarus’s famous sonnet, The New Colossus was written as a fundraiser for the pedestal, decades before it was publicly displayed at the monument.
Emma Lazarus was a Jewish American poet known for her advocacy on behalf of immigrants and refugees. In 1883, she was asked to contribute a poem to a fundraising auction, and although she initially hesitated, she relented and wrote The New Colossus in two days. Her sonnet sold at the auction for $1,500 USD (about $37,000 today).
In 1901 her friend campaigned to have the sonnet immortalized, so it was inscribed on a plaque and hung on a wall inside the pedestal in 1903, sixteen years after Emma Lazarus’s death.
Ms. Lazarus’s poem was key in reimagining the statue not as a symbol of military might but as a motherly protector of the world’s poor and displaced. Her lines—especially “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”—gave the statue a new emotional and moral purpose, one that resonated deeply with Americans.
Sadly Ms. Lazarus did not see her work memorialized. She died of cancer in 1887, aged 37.
7. Her Original Purpose as a Lighthouse
The Statue of Liberty didn’t begin her life solely as a symbol of freedom—she was also intended to function as a working lighthouse, guiding ships into New York Harbor. This was a massive failure!
When she was completed in 1886, engineers installed an electric arc lamp inside the torch, hoping its beam would shine far out to sea. But the design ran into immediate problems: the torch’s metal framework and narrow windows blocked much of the light, the lamp wasn’t bright enough for long‑distance visibility, and maintenance was difficult because the torch was hard to access.
Over the years, officials tried multiple fixes—adding more powerful lamps, cutting portholes in the flame, and even redesigning the torch entirely—but none solved the visibility issues. Eventually, in 1902, the lighthouse role was abandoned, and later restorations replaced the original flame with a new copper-and-gold-leaf version meant purely for symbolism rather than illumination.
8. Her Original Torch Leaked- Badly
The first torch looked beautiful from afar but was a maintenance nightmare.
Not only was the light too dim, but the torch itself leaked badly, creating constant safety and maintenance problems. Rainwater seeped through the seams of the copper flame and into the internal structure, damaging the stairs, rusting the iron framework, and making the torch platform slippery and unsafe for workers.
Engineers tried sealing the joints, adding protective coatings, and installing new glass panels, but nothing fully stopped the leaks. Combined with the already‑poor visibility of the lamp, these issues pushed officials to keep modifying the torch: cutting windows in the flame, experimenting with brighter bulbs.
The torch was eventually replaced in 1986 with a new, sealed, gold‑leaf flame designed purely for symbolism rather than illumination.
FRIENDSHIP & FREEDOM:
The Story of the Statue of Liberty
Perfect for Homeschoolers! This book contains:
- Photographs
- A Timeline of Events
- Biographies of Main Participants
- Comprehension Questions
Thank you for reading! For more about the Statue of Liberty, please visit Amazon.
