Little Sisters of Liberty: Boy Scouts of America...And We Have One!

"In order to help promote the BSA’s 40th anniversary theme of Strengthen the Arm of Liberty, 200 small versions of the Statue of Liberty were placed in communities across the country in the early 1950’s. A recent campaign has helped restore many of these long-neglected statues."

"http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0710/d-wwas.html

Only four of these replicas of the Statue of Liberty found there way to Ohio. Scouts erected one in Cleveland, one in Toledo, another in Youngstown and one in Ironton. The one originally placed in Youngstown disappeared. Now only three exist in Ohio and Ironton has one of the three. We stand at the precipice of an historical moment. Sixty years ago this year, Boy Scouts of Southern Ohio made a stand for Liberty and left us a legacy that we must embrace. We have a responsibility to pass this torch of Freedom to a new generation of Scouts.

Between 1949 and 1952, in town after town across America, community celebrations took place as Scouts dedicated more than 200 of the now historic Little Sisters of Liberty.

Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park, Kan., is home to this replica of Lady Liberty.

The statues were located on capitol grounds, courthouse lawns, and main streets; in city parks, schoolyards, and libraries; and at Scout camps — all as part of Scouting’s 40th anniversary theme, Strengthen the Arm of Liberty.

Jack P. Whitaker, a Kansas City businessman and commissioner for the local Boy Scout council, originated the project after seeing a dedication of a Statue of Liberty replica made of chicken wire and concrete in Spirit Lake, Iowa. He decided that Scouts should endorse the prospect of Liberty by erecting the small replicas throughout America. Whitaker paid for the mold, promoted the project and helped Scout groups arrange fundraisers and dedication programs. The campaign enjoyed national success.

Local communities provided pedestals, which were often quite elaborate and added several feet to the overall height of the statue. Landscaping, too, sometimes graced the statues.
No official count or record was kept on the project and, as the decades wore on, many of the little Statues of Liberty suffered the effects of time. Eventually, weather and vandalism took a toll. Spikes were broken from the crown and the torch-carrying arm often was damaged. While some cities faithfully restored the statues, others simply junked them.



Little Sister  at Southwest Corner
of Lawrence County Court House
Lawrence County, Ohio

 During a recent research project conducted by one of my classes I teach at Ohio University, I snapped some photos of the various commemorative monuments located on the Lawrence County Courthouse lawn. The displays include an old jail cornerstone, a model of the pyramid type iron furnace, some battle cannon and the small replica of the Statue of Liberty. The plaque on the base references Boy Scouts of America and, being an adamant fan of Scouts, I began a second avenue of research concerning these Little Sisters. I'm glad I did! I'm astonised that we have one of only three of these replicas right here in our county seat.

After some deliberation, I felt moved to request special permission from the Lawrence County Commissioners to clean, restore and repair the Little Sister of Liberty that stands on our courthouse square. Our Boy Scouts stand ready for the challenge. We have sought donations from several of our supporters (if you'd like to help, please contact us today) and we have permission to restore the statue on November 12th, 2011 and we will rededicate the Little Sister of Liberty on November 19th, 2011. The local newspaper in Ironton has already begun to cover the progress of the project. http://www.irontontribune.com/2011/10/14/putting-the-shine-back-in-lady-liberty/

So now, at this moment and time in our history, let us once again gather as a people, as a community and as faithful Scouts to embrace our cherished liberties and freedoms. Join with us as we rededicate ourselves to the task of reaffirming our commitment to liberty, freedom and the American Way! Take the hand of the Little Sister of Liberty and walk together with us into the future with hope, promise and confidence that we, We the People will lift the Torch of Freedom from this day forward...Forever! God Bless America!