Looking Back - Reminiscing with Jack Lebo
Remembering The History Of Lady Liberty And Visits To Her Island
Sh-h-h-! I’ve got a secret.... Please don’t tell Mrs. Lebo! You see, I happen to be in love with another lady! I’ve had this love affair with this other woman since I was about 8 or 9 years old, ever since my dad took us kids, in our old Chevrolet, to visit with her for the very first time.
We traveled for a few hours (there was no Turnpike at the time) from Philadelphia to Brooklyn, New York to visit an ailing aunt at her home in Brooklyn It was there that I saw my secret love for the very first time.
Yes, it was love at first sight, and what a wonderful thrill it was! Of course I’ve seen many photographs of her from various angles in the past, but actually seeing her standing there in all her magnificent splendor, sent shivers throughout my body. My love had been standing there in Lower Manhattan harbor for many, many years.
I’m sure you have guessed by now, just who that mysterious woman is by now. She is sometimes known by many monikers, such as “Lady Liberty,” “The Lady in the Harbor,” “The Lady with the Lamp,” and assorted others. Of course, the lady in question is “The Statue of Liberty.”
How did she get there? How long has she been overlooking the harbor? These questions will now be answered:
The Statue of Liberty National Monument officially celebrated her 100th birthday on October 28, 1986. The people of France gave the statue to the people of the United States over one hundred years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. Over the years, the statue’s symbolism has grown to include freedom and democracy as well as international friendship.
Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design a sculpture with the year 1876 in mind for completion, to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. The Statue was a joint effort between America and France and it was agreed upon that American people were to build the pedestal, and the French were responsible for the Statue and its assembly here in the United States. However, lack of funds was a problem on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In France, public fees, various forms of entertainment, and a lottery were among the methods used to raise the funds. In the U.S., benefit theatrical events, art exhibitions, auctions and prize fights assisted in providing needed funds.
Meanwhile in France, Bartholdi required the assistance of an engineer to address structural issues associated with designing such a colossal copper sculpture. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel Tower) was commissioned to design the massive iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework which allows the Statue’s cooper skin to move independently yet stand upright. Back in America, fund raising for the pedestal was going particularly slowly, so Joseph Pulitzer (noted for the Pulitzer Prize) opened up the editorial pages of his newspaper, “The World,” to support the fund raising effort. Pulitzer used his newspaper to criticize both the rich who had failed to finance the pedestal construction and the middle class who were content to rely upon the wealthy to provide the funds. Pulitzer’s campaign of harsh criticism was successful in motivating the people of America to donate.
Financing for the pedestal was completed in August 1885, and pedestal construction was finished in April of 1886. The Statue was completed in France in July 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor in June of 1885 on board the French frigate “Isere,” which transported the Statute of Liberty from France to the United States. In transit, the Statue was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates. The Statue was re-assembled on her new pedestal in four months time. On October 28, 1886, the dedication of the Statue took place in front of thousands of spectators. She was a centennial gift 10 years late.
The story of the Stature of Liberty and her Island has been one of change. The Statue was placed upon a granite pedestal inside the courtyard of the star-shaped walls of Fort Wood (which had been completed for the War of 1812.) The United States Lighthouse Board had responsibility for the operation of the Statue of Liberty until 1901. After 1901, the care and operation of the Statue was placed under the War Department. A Presidential Proclamation declared Fort Wood (and the Statue within it) a National Monument on October 15, 1924, and the monument’s boundary was set at the outer edge of Fort Wood.
In 1933, the care and administration of the National Monument was transferred to the National Park Service. On September 7, 1937, jurisdiction was enlarged to encompass all of Bedloe’s Island and in 1956, the island’s name was changed to Liberty Island. On May 11, 1965, Ellis Island was also transferred to the National Park Service and became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.
In May of 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Lee Iacocca to head up a private sector effort to restore the Statue of Liberty. Fund raising began for the $87 million restoration under a public/private partnership between the National Park Service and The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. In 1984, at the start of the Statue’s restoration, the United Nations designated the Statue of Liberty as a World Heritage Site. On July 5, 1986, the newly restored Statue re-opened to the public during Liberty Weekend, which celebrated her centennial.
Visiting The Statue
The Statue and Ellis Island are both popular destinations for visitors to New York City. If you’re interested in seeing both popular attractions during your trip to NYC, we recommend seeing them the same day.
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island’s attractions are located on two separate islands in the New York Harbor. They are served by the same ferry, so visiting them together allows visitors to make the most of their time, though it can make for a long day if you’re going to experience both the Statue and Ellis Island to the fullest. It will take 5 to 6 hours to visit both Islands and the museums, as well as round-trip transportation from Battery Park.
The ferry leaves Battery Park every 20-40 minutes, but you need to allow time for clearing security (if you purchase your tickets in advance). You’ll need even more time if you want to buy tickets once you arrive at Battery Park.
After a 10 minute ride, the ferry will stop at Liberty first. Whether you want to visit the Statue or not, you’ll need to disembark. If you want to tour Liberty Island or enter the Statue, you can catch a ferry on Ellis Island whenever you are done. You’ll need a Monument Pass in order to visit the museum or enter the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. Monument Passes are free, but there are a limited number available (they are included with advanced purchase reserve tickets, but available on first-come, first- served basis for other visitors).
Another 10-minute ferry ride will bring you to Ellis Island. Here you will want to plan to allow at least an hour to visit the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. We highly recommend taking the free Ranger Led Tour and also allowing yourself time to explore the museum on your own. Once you are done at Ellis Island, you can board the ferry again to return to Battery Park. The ferry leaves Ellis Island every 20 minutes. Be sure to get the ferry bound for Battery Park, as there are also ferries going back to Liberty Island for visitors who took the ferry from New Jersey.
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A Bristol, PA reader writes, “I was raised in Bristol, so my memories are many...
“Sledding on the Forge Bridge, swimming in the Delaware River, and going to the Island (Burlington, NJ) was always a big deal.
“Other fond memories include going to Strauss Drug Store in the evening and standing on the corner at McCrory’s. Back in the late 1930s or early 1940s, there was a film made here called, ‘It Happened in Bristol.’ We were all in it. Then I recall going to the corner where Market Street met Radcliffe to sing Christmas carols. Everyone would turn out. It was a good place to grow up.”
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Mickey Green, of Bryn Mawr, PA, refreshed our memory regarding super markets and food stores that have disappeared from sight. How many shoppers recall these food emporiums that are no longer with us? There was Food Fair, Penn Fruit Company, Pickwell Markets, Pantry Pride, WEO Stores (Warehouse-Employee-Owned), A & P Food Stores, American Stores, and the Baltimore Markets.
We recently came across a Baltimore Markets’ newspaper ad from February 12, 1942. These prices are just a forgotten memory of the past. The half-page ad states such wonderful prices as Sirloin Steaks, 29 cents per pound; Milk-Fed Stewing Chickens, 19 cents a pound; Juicy Florida Oranges, 19 cents per dozen; Campbell’s Vegetable Soup, 3 cans for 26 cents; Green Full-Podded Peas, 9 cents a pound; and their leader, that brought customers in — the Big “Five” Loaf of Bread, five cents each. The ad reads, “The only 5-cent loaf of bread in Philadelphia.”
My dad gave up the produce-huckstering business during the early 1940s and opened a small Mom and Pop grocery store in the Logan section of North Philadelphia, where I worked as a teenager. He soon added a seafood department that became my responsibility. In addition to the regular variety of fish, he installed a tank for live carp. Needless to say, the live ones were quite a handful, but somehow, I soon became quite adept at wrestling with the carp, fishing them out of the tank, scaling them, and filleting them for the customers.
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It seems that Gladys Warwick, also of Bryn Mawr, PA, was cleaning out her attic and came across a newspaper from 1942 containing an ad for a Philadelphia super market which read, “WE WILL BUY YOUR SURPLUS SUGAR! It’s the desire of your government to create a more equal distribution of sugar.... In the spirit of cooperation, we offer to buy your surplus sugar, and will pay 8 cents a pound, which is more than our own retail price. The sugar will be sold to our customers in proper quantities. Note — It is unpatriotic to hoard. Buy Defense Stamps and Bond!”
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Looking Back appears each month. Do you have a memory you’d like to share? Drop a line to: Jack Lebo, Looking Back, 37 Locust Lane, Levittown, PA 19054, or call (215) 943-8870, email: jacklebo@verizon.net.
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Sh-h-h-! I’ve got a secret.... Please don’t tell Mrs. Lebo! You see, I happen to be in love with another lady! I’ve had this love affair with this other woman since I was about 8 or 9 years old, ever since my dad took us kids, in our old Chevrolet, to visit with her for the very first time.
We traveled for a few hours (there was no Turnpike at the time) from Philadelphia to Brooklyn, New York to visit an ailing aunt at her home in Brooklyn It was there that I saw my secret love for the very first time.
Yes, it was love at first sight, and what a wonderful thrill it was! Of course I’ve seen many photographs of her from various angles in the past, but actually seeing her standing there in all her magnificent splendor, sent shivers throughout my body. My love had been standing there in Lower Manhattan harbor for many, many years.
I’m sure you have guessed by now, just who that mysterious woman is by now. She is sometimes known by many monikers, such as “Lady Liberty,” “The Lady in the Harbor,” “The Lady with the Lamp,” and assorted others. Of course, the lady in question is “The Statue of Liberty.”
How did she get there? How long has she been overlooking the harbor? These questions will now be answered:
The Statue of Liberty National Monument officially celebrated her 100th birthday on October 28, 1986. The people of France gave the statue to the people of the United States over one hundred years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. Over the years, the statue’s symbolism has grown to include freedom and democracy as well as international friendship.
Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design a sculpture with the year 1876 in mind for completion, to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence. The Statue was a joint effort between America and France and it was agreed upon that American people were to build the pedestal, and the French were responsible for the Statue and its assembly here in the United States. However, lack of funds was a problem on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In France, public fees, various forms of entertainment, and a lottery were among the methods used to raise the funds. In the U.S., benefit theatrical events, art exhibitions, auctions and prize fights assisted in providing needed funds.
Meanwhile in France, Bartholdi required the assistance of an engineer to address structural issues associated with designing such a colossal copper sculpture. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel Tower) was commissioned to design the massive iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework which allows the Statue’s cooper skin to move independently yet stand upright. Back in America, fund raising for the pedestal was going particularly slowly, so Joseph Pulitzer (noted for the Pulitzer Prize) opened up the editorial pages of his newspaper, “The World,” to support the fund raising effort. Pulitzer used his newspaper to criticize both the rich who had failed to finance the pedestal construction and the middle class who were content to rely upon the wealthy to provide the funds. Pulitzer’s campaign of harsh criticism was successful in motivating the people of America to donate.
Financing for the pedestal was completed in August 1885, and pedestal construction was finished in April of 1886. The Statue was completed in France in July 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor in June of 1885 on board the French frigate “Isere,” which transported the Statute of Liberty from France to the United States. In transit, the Statue was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates. The Statue was re-assembled on her new pedestal in four months time. On October 28, 1886, the dedication of the Statue took place in front of thousands of spectators. She was a centennial gift 10 years late.
The story of the Stature of Liberty and her Island has been one of change. The Statue was placed upon a granite pedestal inside the courtyard of the star-shaped walls of Fort Wood (which had been completed for the War of 1812.) The United States Lighthouse Board had responsibility for the operation of the Statue of Liberty until 1901. After 1901, the care and operation of the Statue was placed under the War Department. A Presidential Proclamation declared Fort Wood (and the Statue within it) a National Monument on October 15, 1924, and the monument’s boundary was set at the outer edge of Fort Wood.
In 1933, the care and administration of the National Monument was transferred to the National Park Service. On September 7, 1937, jurisdiction was enlarged to encompass all of Bedloe’s Island and in 1956, the island’s name was changed to Liberty Island. On May 11, 1965, Ellis Island was also transferred to the National Park Service and became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.
In May of 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Lee Iacocca to head up a private sector effort to restore the Statue of Liberty. Fund raising began for the $87 million restoration under a public/private partnership between the National Park Service and The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. In 1984, at the start of the Statue’s restoration, the United Nations designated the Statue of Liberty as a World Heritage Site. On July 5, 1986, the newly restored Statue re-opened to the public during Liberty Weekend, which celebrated her centennial.
Visiting The Statue
The Statue and Ellis Island are both popular destinations for visitors to New York City. If you’re interested in seeing both popular attractions during your trip to NYC, we recommend seeing them the same day.
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island’s attractions are located on two separate islands in the New York Harbor. They are served by the same ferry, so visiting them together allows visitors to make the most of their time, though it can make for a long day if you’re going to experience both the Statue and Ellis Island to the fullest. It will take 5 to 6 hours to visit both Islands and the museums, as well as round-trip transportation from Battery Park.
The ferry leaves Battery Park every 20-40 minutes, but you need to allow time for clearing security (if you purchase your tickets in advance). You’ll need even more time if you want to buy tickets once you arrive at Battery Park.
After a 10 minute ride, the ferry will stop at Liberty first. Whether you want to visit the Statue or not, you’ll need to disembark. If you want to tour Liberty Island or enter the Statue, you can catch a ferry on Ellis Island whenever you are done. You’ll need a Monument Pass in order to visit the museum or enter the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. Monument Passes are free, but there are a limited number available (they are included with advanced purchase reserve tickets, but available on first-come, first- served basis for other visitors).
Another 10-minute ferry ride will bring you to Ellis Island. Here you will want to plan to allow at least an hour to visit the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. We highly recommend taking the free Ranger Led Tour and also allowing yourself time to explore the museum on your own. Once you are done at Ellis Island, you can board the ferry again to return to Battery Park. The ferry leaves Ellis Island every 20 minutes. Be sure to get the ferry bound for Battery Park, as there are also ferries going back to Liberty Island for visitors who took the ferry from New Jersey.
*
A Bristol, PA reader writes, “I was raised in Bristol, so my memories are many...
“Sledding on the Forge Bridge, swimming in the Delaware River, and going to the Island (Burlington, NJ) was always a big deal.
“Other fond memories include going to Strauss Drug Store in the evening and standing on the corner at McCrory’s. Back in the late 1930s or early 1940s, there was a film made here called, ‘It Happened in Bristol.’ We were all in it. Then I recall going to the corner where Market Street met Radcliffe to sing Christmas carols. Everyone would turn out. It was a good place to grow up.”
*
Mickey Green, of Bryn Mawr, PA, refreshed our memory regarding super markets and food stores that have disappeared from sight. How many shoppers recall these food emporiums that are no longer with us? There was Food Fair, Penn Fruit Company, Pickwell Markets, Pantry Pride, WEO Stores (Warehouse-Employee-Owned), A & P Food Stores, American Stores, and the Baltimore Markets.
We recently came across a Baltimore Markets’ newspaper ad from February 12, 1942. These prices are just a forgotten memory of the past. The half-page ad states such wonderful prices as Sirloin Steaks, 29 cents per pound; Milk-Fed Stewing Chickens, 19 cents a pound; Juicy Florida Oranges, 19 cents per dozen; Campbell’s Vegetable Soup, 3 cans for 26 cents; Green Full-Podded Peas, 9 cents a pound; and their leader, that brought customers in — the Big “Five” Loaf of Bread, five cents each. The ad reads, “The only 5-cent loaf of bread in Philadelphia.”
My dad gave up the produce-huckstering business during the early 1940s and opened a small Mom and Pop grocery store in the Logan section of North Philadelphia, where I worked as a teenager. He soon added a seafood department that became my responsibility. In addition to the regular variety of fish, he installed a tank for live carp. Needless to say, the live ones were quite a handful, but somehow, I soon became quite adept at wrestling with the carp, fishing them out of the tank, scaling them, and filleting them for the customers.
*
It seems that Gladys Warwick, also of Bryn Mawr, PA, was cleaning out her attic and came across a newspaper from 1942 containing an ad for a Philadelphia super market which read, “WE WILL BUY YOUR SURPLUS SUGAR! It’s the desire of your government to create a more equal distribution of sugar.... In the spirit of cooperation, we offer to buy your surplus sugar, and will pay 8 cents a pound, which is more than our own retail price. The sugar will be sold to our customers in proper quantities. Note — It is unpatriotic to hoard. Buy Defense Stamps and Bond!”
*
Looking Back appears each month. Do you have a memory you’d like to share? Drop a line to: Jack Lebo, Looking Back, 37 Locust Lane, Levittown, PA 19054, or call (215) 943-8870, email: jacklebo@verizon.net.
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