In the middle of
downtown Columbus, in the middle of Main Street, there stands a replica
of the Statue Of Liberty. Few people today bother to stop and read
the inscriptions on the base of this 8 1/2' tall statue. What a
shame. There are two plaques on the base of this statue, and they
read as follows:
With
the faith and courage of
their forefathers who made
possible the freedom of these
United States
the
Boy Scouts Of America
dedicate
this copy of the
Statue Of Liberty as a pledge
of everlasting fidelity and
loyalty
40th
Anniversary crusade to
strengthen the arm of liberty
1950
The other plaque reads as
follows:
ERECTED BY
IRVINE WEITZENHOFFER
AND
T.M. MCCAHEY
DECEMBER 7, 1950
It seems that about
200 of these statues were donated to various cities around America by
the Boy Scouts between 1949 and 1952. They are made of copper
plate, and weight approximately 290 pounds each, not counting the
base. Built in Chicago, some of these reminders that
freedom isn't free have been defaced, vandalized, or damaged, but not
ours. Not the only one known to have been placed In Mississippi,
which resides just a short distance from our council office. No,
our Statue Of Liberty still stands proud and safe here in the heart of
the Pushmataha Area Council.
To read more about these amazing statues, visit
these websites: