Next to the flag, it's America's most famous symbol for freedom - an icon for every immigrant who ever came to this country from across the Atlantic.  But after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the Interior Department, which runs the nation’s national parks, closed it entirely.  The Statue of Liberty was closed to visitors following September 11,
2001, but Liberty Island was reopened on December 20, 2001. The Promenade and Observatory were reopened to visitors but access was limited by reserved ticketing only.  On Aug. 3, 2004, Liberty Island was reopened to tourists along with the museum inside the statue’s pedestal.  But they were no longer allowed to climb the stairs to the crown.  The crown, the highest point within that you an go up will finally be reopened on July 4, 2009.

The announcement was as dramatic as the setting. Speaking live from the crown of the Statue of Liberty, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced exclusively Friday morning on the TODAY show that the statue will reopen to the public on Independence Day.

“On the Fourth of July, we will open up the Statue of Liberty to the people of America,” Salazar told TODAY co-host Matt Lauer from inside the crown of the iconic symbol of freedom.

From the statue’s dedication in 1886 until 2001, millions of tourists had hiked 354 steps up the spiral staircase from the base of statue to the crown.  At step 140, you are bathed in sunlight.  Then you stand before 25 small windows set in the crown.  The biggest is at the center, and to peer through it is to gaze along Lady Liberty's line of sight.  High winds can sway the crown as much as 5 inches, and this can combine with the heat and the climb to make for a daunting visit.  The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy.  The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, designated as a National Monument in 1924 and restored for her centennial on July 4, 1986.

Worldwide, the Statue of Liberty is one of the most recognizable icons of the United States[11] and was, from 1886 until the jet age, often one of the first glimpses of the United States for millions of immigrants after ocean voyages from Europe.  On October 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty was unveiled by President Grover Cleveland in front of thousands of spectators.  The green-blue coloration of the statue is caused by chemical reactions with the copper sheeting which produces copper salts and created the current hue.  Most copper statues in the outside elements, left on their own, will eventually turn this color in a process called patination.

A New Torch

A new torch replaced the original in 1986, which was deemed beyond repair because of extensive earlier modifications.  The  original 1886 torch is now in the monument's lobby museum.  The new torch has gold plating applied to the exterior of the "flame," which is illuminated by external lamps on the surrounding balcony platform.  The interior of the pedestal contains a bronze plaque inscribed with the sonnet "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus. It has never been engraved on the exterior of the pedestal, despite such depictions in editorial cartoons.  It reads:

"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

The first two lines refer to the ancient statue the Colossus of Rhodes.

Ellis Island

Ellis Island, at the mouth of the Hudson River in New York Harbor, is the location of what was from January 1, 1892, until November 12, 1954 the main entry facility for immigrants entering the United States.  Ellis Island is owned by the Federal government and is now part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, under the jurisdiction of the US National Park Service.  It is situated predominantly in Jersey City, New Jersey, although a small portion of its territory falls within neighboring New York City.

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