The Statue of Liberty’s original torch will be in a new museum on Liberty Island

The original Statue of Liberty torch is heading to a new museum that is due to open on Liberty Island in 2019. Visitors may be surprised to learn that the torch Lady Liberty now holds in her raised hand is not the one she first held when she was given to the US by France in 1886 to celebrate the centennial of its independence.

The original torch was made of copper and amber glass so that it would shine brightly – actually the whole statue was originally a copper colour –  but it was replaced in 1984 with a newer, more efficient design as part of the statue’s centennial restoration project. The 3600-pound torch was placed in the statue pedestal, but it was recently transported by truck to the new Statue of Liberty Museum, which is due to open on Liberty Island in May 2019. It was accompanied by a replica model of Lady Liberty’s face, whose full name is Liberty Enlightening the World.

Designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the torch will serve as the centrepiece of the 26,000-square-foot museum, and its flame had to be separated from its base to allow it to fit through the museum’s doors.  It will give visitors the opportunity to examine it more closely from both inside and outside of the museum, which forms part of a US$100 million project on Liberty Island.

The museum will have three gallery spaces that aim to inspire visitors, teach them the history of the statue, and tell them stories about the influence of liberty in the world. Visitors will be able to see Ellis Island and New York City from the top of the museum, and entrance will be free with the purchase of a ferry ticket to Liberty and Ellis Island.

For further information on the Statue of Liberty Museum, please see here.

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