Post

In June 1885, the French transport ship Isère arrived in New York Harbor, carrying over two hundred crates filled with the disassembled pieces of the Statue of Liberty. Strapped to the wooden deck, the massive cargo represented France’s gift to the United States, a symbol of friendship and shared ideals of liberty. Crowds gathered at the harbor to witness the ship’s arrival, its towering crates standing against the skyline of lower Manhattan. Over the following year, the statue was carefully assembled on Bedloe’s Island. On October 28, 1886, tens of thousands of people filled the island and packed the harbor with ships to witness the dedication. As cannon fire echoed across the water and streamers filled the air, the veil dropped to reveal the copper statue in full for the first time, the Statue of Liberty rising above the city, marking a new icon for America and the world.