Strengthen the Arm of Liberty

Strengthen the Arm of Liberty is the theme of the Boy Scouts of America's fortieth anniversary celebration in 1950.[1] The campaign was inaugurated in February with a dramatic ceremony held at the base of the Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World). Approximately 200 BSA Statue of Liberty replicas were installed across the United States.

Strengthen the Arm of Liberty
This Statue of Liberty replica, donated by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), is located at Oakdale Park in Salina, Kansas.
Date1950
VenueStatue of Liberty
LocationLiberty Island
ThemeStrengthen the Arm of Liberty
Cause40th anniversary of Boy Scouts of America
Organized byBoy Scouts of America

BSA Statue of Liberty replicas
This Statue of Liberty replica, donated by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), is located at Haldimand Bay, Mackinac Island, Michigan.

As part of the Strengthening the Arm of Liberty campaign to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), hundreds of scale replicas of the Statue of Liberty have been created nationwide. The Statue of Liberty, by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, bears the classical appearance of the Roman stola, sandals, and facial expression which are derived from Libertas, ancient Rome's goddess of freedom from slavery, oppression, and tyranny. Her raised right foot is on the move. This symbol of Liberty and Freedom is not standing still or at attention in the harbor, but moving forward, as her left foot tramples broken shackles at her feet, in symbolism of the United States's wish to be free from oppression and tyranny.[2]

Manufacture

Between 1949 and 1952, approximately two hundred 100-inch (2.5 m) replicas of the statue, made of stamped copper, were purchased by Boy Scout troops and donated in 39 states in the U.S. and several of its possessions and territories. The project was the brainchild of Kansas City businessman, J.P. Whitaker, who was then Scout Commissioner of the Kansas City Area Council.

The copper statues were manufactured by Friedley-Voshardt Co. (Chicago, Illinois) and purchased through the Kansas City Boy Scout office by those wanting one. The statues are approximately 8​1⁄2 feet tall without the base, constructed of sheet copper, weigh 290 pounds, and originally cost US$350 (equivalent to $3,719 in 2019) plus freight. The mass-produced statues are not meticulously accurate: a conservator notes that "her face isn't as mature as the real Liberty. It's rounder and more like a little girl's."

Today
Lady Liberty of Tahlequah, one of the Strengthen the Arm of Liberty statues still extant

Many of these statues have been lost or destroyed, but preservationists have been able to account for about 100 of them, and BSA Troop 101 of Cheyenne, Wyoming has collected photographs of more than 100 of them.[3][4] The Wikipedia list is approaching 150 examples.

Examples of the statues can be found at Birmingham, Alabama, Fayetteville, Arkansas, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Greeley, Colorado, at the Mississippi riverfront in Burlington, Iowa, at Overland Park, Kansas and at Chimborazo Park in Richmond, Virginia.

Over the years, the copper skins on several of the miniature statues began to take on oxidation, perfectly resembling the statue from which they are modeled, and several more had been renovated, and repaired. The statue in Burlington had been taken from its original position in Dankwardt Park, completely renovated, repaired, and polished, and then placed on a pedestal at the riverfront, where it sits today.

Other artifacts of the project
Neckerchief slide

A Strengthen the Arm of Liberty brass pin was produced for uniform and civilian wear. The pin is in the shape of the Statue of Liberty superimposed on a fleur de lis. The Robbins Company, which made BSA's Eagle medals for many years, made these pins and the winged "R" hallmark is prominently displayed on the reverse. A commemorative neckerchief slide was made for Boy Scouts and for the Cub Scouts.

List of BSA Statue of Liberty replicas
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

The following is a list of locations of the replica statues as of 2016.[5][6]

Alabama
  • Birmingham - Linn Park, located on the west side of the Jefferson County Courthouse building facing Linn Park; the replica at Liberty Park is not a BSA piece

Arkansas
  • Fayetteville, Washington Regional Medical Center, North Street
  • Pine Bluff, 10th Avenue between Georgia & State Streets on Esplanade opposite South Side Civic Center
  • Sherwood, Amy Sanders Branch Library, 31 Shelby Road

California
  • Bellflower, John Simms Park, 16601 South Clark Avenue

Colorado
  • Colorado Springs, Old City Hall, 107 North Nevada Avenue
  • Estes Park, Park Elementary School, Community Dr. and Graves Avenue
  • Fort Collins, Ben Delatour Ranch for Boy Scouts,
  • Greeley, Corner of 9th Street and 9th Avenue
  • Gunnison, Leslie J. Savage Library at Western State College of Colorado, 600 N. Adams, north wall of the main floor. Originally in Crawford,[6]
  • Johnstown, Letford Elementary School, Charlotte and Jay Avenues
  • Kremmling, South side of Town Square
  • La Junta, City Park, 10th St. and Colorado Avenue
  • Longmont, Roosevelt Park, Coffman Street and Longs Peak Avenue
  • Loveland, Lakeside Park, Colorado Route 34, Eisenhower Street
  • Pueblo, Pueblo County Courthouse, Court Street and 10th Street
  • Sterling, Logan County Courthouse
  • Trinidad, County Courthouse, First Street and Maple Street
  • Walsh, Santa Fe, Nevada St
  • Ward, Camp Tahosa

Florida
  • Orlando, Magnolia and Orange Avenue
  • Quincy, Wallwood Scout Reservation, 23 Wallwood BSA Drive

Georgia
  • Atlanta, Georgia State Capitol, Northwest corner of Capitol grounds. Corner of Washington Street and Martin Luther King Drive
  • Rome, at Camp Sidney Dew

Idaho
  • Caldwell, Caldwell Memorial Park, Near Grant Street

Illinois

Benton, Illinois in front of the library

Indiana
  • Dupont, Camp Louis Ernst, BSA, 75 feet west of Indiana SR 7
  • Gary, 401 Broadway, City Hall
  • Madison, Jefferson County Courthouse, Northwest corner
  • Peru, Miami County Courthouse, Courthouse square, south side
  • Plymouth, Marshall County Commissioners, Marshall County Courthouse
  • South Bend, Old Courthouse, 101 South Main Street

Iowa

Kansas
  • Coffeyville, in front of the high school
  • Colby, Fike Park, Corner of Franklin and East 8th Street
  • Eldorado, Butler County Historical Society Museum
  • Garden City, Finney County Courthouse, 8th Street side
  • Garnett, Courthouse Square
  • Harlan, Roadside Park, US 281, 5 miles from Harlan
  • Hays, Hays Public Library, 1205 Main
  • Hillsboro, Hillsboro Memorial Park, Birch Street
  • Independence, Penn and Locust
  • Kingman, Kingman Elementary and Junior High School, North Main Street
  • La Crosse, La Crosse City Park, South Main Street
  • Leavenworth, City Hall, Lawn, northeast corner of 5th and Shawnee
  • Lebanon, Kansas Geographical center of the lower 48 states.
  • Liberal, Liberal Memorial Library, 519 North Kansas
  • Medicine Lodge, Medicine Lodge Grade School, 320 North Walnut, Northwest corner
  • Overland Park, Shawnee Mission North High School, 7401 Johnson Drive
  • Parsons, Parsons Middle School, Southwest corner, 28th and Main
  • Pratt, Gateway Park, Corner of East First and Stout
  • Russell, Lincoln Park, Corner of 4th and Lincoln Streets
  • St. John, City Park Square, Northeast corner, 4th and Broadway
  • Salina, Oakdale Park, 320 East Ash
  • Smith County, located in small park overlooking the North Fork of the Solomon River Valley just west of U.S. 281[7]
  • Topeka, Kansas State Capitol grounds
  • Troy, Doniphan County Courthouse, Southwest grounds
  • Washington, Washington County Courthouse, C Street and 3rd
  • Wichita, Roosevelt Middle School, 2100 East Douglas

Kentucky

Massachusetts
  • Fall River, John F. Kennedy Park, Corner of Bradford and Broadway Avenue
  • Lawrence, Lawrence Public Library

Michigan

Minnesota
  • Hibbing, City Hall, 401 East 21st Street

Mississippi

Missouri
  • Boonville, Cooper County Courthouse, Main Street, In front of Courthouse
  • Butler, Butler Grade School
  • Cape Girardeau, Intersection of Broadway and West End Boulevard
  • Columbia, Formerly located Municipal Building, 505 West Broadway (1950–73).
  • Concordia, Central Park, Seventh Street at Gordon Street
  • Jefferson City, Missouri State Capitol, Capitol and Jefferson Streets, west of Department of Highway and Transportation building
  • Kansas City, Meyer Boulevard and Prospect Avenue
  • Kansas City, North Kansas City High School, Circular promenade near Iron, Howell, and East 23rd Streets
  • Lamar, SE corner of Courthouse lawn
  • Lexington, County Court House, 1001 Main Street
  • Liberty, Franklin Elementary School, 201 West Mill Street
  • Malden, Intersection of Business Highway 25 and Downing Street
  • Marshall, Indian Foothills Park, North entrance
  • Memphis, County Courthouse, Corner of Monroe and Market Streets
  • Mexico, Audrain County Courthouse
  • North Kansas City, North Kansas City High School, Circular promenade near Iron, Howell, and East 23rd Streets
  • Memphis, Scotland County Courthouse, Corner of Monroe and Market Streets
  • Osceola, H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation
  • St. Joseph, Smith Park, Francis between 11th and 12th
  • Salisbury, City Park
  • Sedalia, Pettis County Courthouse
  • Silva, Lewallen Scout Camp
  • Slater, SE corner of Elm St.
  • Springfield, in front of County Courthouse

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New York
  • Hudson, Intersection of Columbia and Green Street
  • Le Roy, Wolcott Street, Opposite Woodward Memorial Library
  • Niagara Falls, Rainbow Bridge Plaza
  • Oneonta, Neawha Park
  • Schenectady, Intersection of Erie Boulevard and Union Street
  • Utica, Median between Elm Street and Pleasant Street

North Carolina
  • Wilmington, City Hall, Front lawn, northeast corner of Third and Princess Streets

North Dakota
  • Fargo, Main and 2nd Streets

Oklahoma

[8]

  • Blackwell, Memorial Swimming Pool, 1400 South Main Street
  • Chickasha, Shannon Springs Park, part the Grady County Veterans Memorial, southeast of W Montana Ave and S 12th Street
  • Cushing, City Park, 900 block of South Little Street
  • Edmond, Edmond Historical Society and Museum, 431 South Boulevard
  • Enid, Garfield County Courthouse, Grand and Broadway Streets
  • Lindsay, north Main St.
  • Miami, Ottawa County Courthouse, corner of A Street and Central S.E.
  • Muskogee, Spaulding Park, Spaulding Park Lake
  • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County Courthouse, near corner of Park and Hudson (Statue of Liberty)
  • Tahlequah, Cherokee Nation Capitol, corner of Keetoowah and Muskogee
  • Tulsa, Northwest corner of the Sidney Lanier grade school property, located on Harvard Avenue between 17th and 19th streets
  • Wewoka, Seminole County Courthouse, 100 block of Wewoka Avenue

Oregon
  • Medford, corner of South Oakdale Avenue and West 8th Street

Pennsylvania
  • Berwick, Borough Hall, Market Street
  • Bloomsburg, Bloomsburg Memorial Elementary School, West 5th and South Market Streets
  • Ellwood City, Lincoln High School, 5th and Crescent Avenue
  • New Castle, Owen Penfield Fox Park, Mill and Grove Streets
  • York, Kiwanis Park, North Newberry Street and Parkway Boulevard, On island in lake

South Carolina
  • Columbia, Realtors Park, Intersection of Barnwell, Blossom and Devine Streets

Texas

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin
  • Kenosha, inside Kenosha History museum on Simmon's Island
  • Madison, Warner Park, Corner of Northport and Sherman Avenue

Wyoming
  • Torrington, Goshen County Courthouse, N.E. corner of 21st Avenue and East A Street
  • Wheatland, Platte County Courthouse, 800 9th Street
  • Cheyenne, relocated to Lions Park Kennedy Rd and Martin Esquibel St.
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See also

References
  1. Attoun, Marti (October 2007). "Little Sisters of Liberty". Scouting. Retrieved October 9, 2007.
  2. "Fun Facts". The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  3. Attoun, Marti (September 29, 2007). "Restoring the Little Sisters of Lady Liberty". American Profile. Archived from the original on March 16, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2007.
  4. "Photos and locations of more than ninety of the replicas". BSA Troop 101, Cheyenne, Wyoming. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  5. "SIRIS - Smithsonian Institution Research Information System". Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  6. "BSA Troop 101 Replica Statue of Liberty Search". Archived from the original on September 10, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  7. "Smith County Statue of Liberty Monument (Smith County, Kansas)". Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  8. "BSA Replica Statue of Liberty". passbagger.org.
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