National Monuments · New Jersey and New York
Statue of Liberty National Monument
National Park Service source material · single source. Source dates and reuse information are available beside each field.
Check the official park website for current access, conditions and visitor information.
Introduction
Background: 1
A gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States "Liberty Enlightening the World" is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. It was dedicated by President Grover Cleveland on October 28, 1886. Designated as a National Monument in 1924, employees of the National Park Service have been caring for the Statue of Liberty since 1933.
Geography
Designation: 2
National Monument
State or territory: 3
New Jersey and New York
Area Map - Statue of Liberty National Monument: 4
Map scope: Statue of Liberty National Monument
Area map showing the two ferry routes between Manhattan, Liberty Island, Ellis Island, and Jersey City where the Hudson River and East River meet. Liberty Island and Ellis Island are shown in green while the surrounding land is a combination of tan and lighter green.
History and culture
Collections: 5
The museum collection of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island includes approximately 390,000 individual artifacts and over 1 million archival records, which represent the cultural and natural histories of both Liberty and Ellis Islands. The collection consists primarily of site-related materials that the National Park Service is legally mandated to collect and preserve and contributes to the Park's interpretive themes. These materials are used to educate and inspire present and future generations about the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island through exhibits, research, interpretive programs, publications, and the media.
Significant items in the museum collection include 1886 models of the Statue of Liberty sold to raise funds for the Statue's construction; a number of letters exchanged between Auguste Bartholdi (designer of the Statue of Liberty) and Joseph Pulitzer (publisher of the New York World newspaper); immigration documents such as inspection cards, passports and steamship tickets; and personal items families brought with them through Ellis Island.
Cultural Landscape Report for Liberty Island: 6
When the National Park Service began its stewardship of Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1937, we undertook a redesign of the Bedloe’s Island landscape to complement the Statue of Liberty and provide for the comfort of future visitors. This was the first time that the Statue and Bedloe’s Island would be brought together into a unified design. Landscape architect Norman T. Newton created the 1939 master plan that would transform Bedloe’s Island. Newton’s plan was intended to attract visitors to the island and provide a proper setting for the Statue, now a national monument. Work on the island was completed by 1957. The renovation transformed the island from an unused military installation into a park. To commemorate this event, Bedloe’s Island was renamed Liberty Island in 1956 through a joint resolution of Congress and signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. With a longstanding recognition of the significance of the island and its setting, this report developed by the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation , describes in detail the evolution of the Liberty Island landscape and documents those individuals playing a major role in shaping its design and physical appearance. A full understanding of the significance of this cultural landscape will ensure better protection of the island’s nationally significant resources and a more complete and meaningful experience for visitors. John Piltzecker Superintendent, Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island View the Cultural Landscape Report
Library Access: 7
The Bob Hope Memorial Library is open for research visits by appointment. Research appointments must be made in advance of your visit to Ellis Island.
All research requests should be made in advance by contacting our staff by e-mail , by telephone at (646) 356-2160 or by mail at: Statue of Liberty National Monument ATTN: Reference Library 1 Ellis Island Jersey City, NJ 07305-1776 The NPS Library Information Center is the gateway to the NPS LIBRIS Discovery portal, which provides end-users access to the read-only version of the NPS Library Catalog (where we have many of our library holdings cataloged), as well as links to numerous other NPS and NPS-related information resources, many of them digital.
Statue of Liberty Bibliography: 8
Aguila, Dani. Taking Liberty with the Lady – By Cartoonists from around the World . Nashville: Eagle Nest Publishing Company, 1986
Baboian, Robert, E. Blaine Cliver, and E. Lawrence Bellante, editors. The Statue of Liberty Restoration (Proceedings of the Statue of Liberty-Today for Tomorrow Conference, October 1986. 1990. Houston: National Association of Corrosion Engineers
Bartholdi, Frédéric-Auguste. The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World . New York: Allan Thorndike Rice, 1885
Berenson, Edward. The Statue of Liberty: A Transatlantic Story . New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012
Berg, Shary P. 1999. Cultural Landscape Report for Liberty Island, Statue of Liberty National Monument: History, Analysis and Treatment Recommendations . Boston: Olmstead Center for Landscape Preservation, National Park Service
Blanchet, Christian, and Bertrand Dard. Statue of Liberty: The First Hundred Years . New York: American Heritage, 1985
Blumberg, Barbara. Celebrating the Immigrant: An Administrative History of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, 1952-1982 . (Cultural Resources Management Study No. 10). Boston: National Park Service, 1985
Boime, Albert. Hollow Icons; The Politics of Sculpture in Nineteenth Century France . Kent State University Press, 1987
Boime, Albert. The Unveiling of the National Icons: A Plea for Patriotic Iconoclasm in a Nationalist Era . Cambridge University Press, 1997
Browne, Anita, editor. Golden Jubilee Poems of the Statue of Liberty . New York: The Poet's Press, 1936
Burchard, Sue. The Statue of Liberty: Birth to Rebirth . (juvenile). San Diego: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovitch, 1985
Causel, Laurent. Bartholdi and the Statue of Liberty . Strasbourg, France: Editions de la Nuée-Bleu, 1984
Coffin, Margie, Charlie Pepper and Al Farrugio. Statue of Liberty National Monument Landscape Preservation Maintenance Program . Brookline, Massachusetts: Olmstead Center for Landscape Preservation, 1992
Dillon, Wilton S., and Neil G. Kotler, editors. The Statue of Liberty Revisited: Making a Universal Symbol . Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1994
Gray, Walter. Interpreting American Democracy in France: The Career of Edouard Laboulaye . Newark: University of Delaware Press, 1994
Gschaedler, André. True Light on the Statue of Liberty and Her Creator Narberth, Pennsylvania: Livingston Publishing Company, 1966
Grigsby, Darcy. Colossal: The Suez Canal, Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower and Panama Canal: Transatlantic Ambition in France and the United States during the Nineteenth Century . Pittsburgh: Periscopic Press, 2011
Griswold, William A. Liberty Island: Archeological Overview and Assessment . Lowell, Massachusetts: National Park Service Cultural Resources Center, 1998
Griswold, William A. (ed.). Archeology of a Prehistoric Shell Midden, Statue of Liberty National Monument. Lowell, Massachusetts: National Park Service, 2002
Haskins, James. The Statue of Liberty: America's Proud Lady . (juvenile). Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1986
Hayden, Richard Seth and Thierry W. Despont, with Nadine M. Post. Restoring the Statue of Liberty: Sculpture, Structure, Symbol . New York: McGraw-Hill, 1986
Hill, Elizabeth Starr. Wonderful Visit to Miss Liberty . (juvenile). New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1961
Holland, F. Ross. Idealists, Scoundrels and the Lady: An Insider's View of the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Project . Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1993
Hueber, Régis. D'un Album de Voyage: Auguste Bartholdi en Egypte (1855-56) . Colmar, France, 1990
Hugins, Walter Statue of Liberty National Monument: Its Origins, Development and Administration . New York: National Park Service, 1958
Kallop. Edward L., Jr. Images of Liberty: Models and Reductions of the Statue of Liberty, 1867-1917 (Centennial Exhibition Catalogue, Christie's). New York: Christie, Manson & Woods, 1986
Kaplan, Peter B., Lee Iacocca and Barbara Grazzini. Liberty for All . Delaware: Miller Publishing, 2002
Kinscella, Hazel. Liberty's Island: Stories of the Harbor of New York, Bedloe's Island and the Statue of Liberty . Lincoln, Nebraska: University Publishing Company, 1947
Lemoine, Bertrand. La Statue de la Liberté – The Statue of Liberty . Brussels: Mardaga, 1986
Marrey, Bernard. The Extraordinary Work and Life of Monsieur Gustave Eiffel the Engineer Who Built the Statue of Liberty . Paris: Graphite, 1984
New York Public Library, and Comite Officiel Franco-Americaine pour la Celebration du Centenaire de la Statue de la Liberte, with Pierre Provoyeur and June Hargrove, eds. (exhibition catalogue). Liberty: The French-American Statue in Art and History . New York: Harper & Row, 1986
Pauli, Hertha and E.B. Ashton. I Lift My Lamp: The Way of a Symbol . New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1948
Perrault, Carole L., ed. The Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island, A Chronicle of the Physical Conditions and Appearance of the Island, 1871 to 1956 . Boston: National Park Service, 1984
Perrault, Carole L., compiler. The Statue of Liberty National Monument – Documents on the Construction of the Statue of Liberty, the Foundation, the Pedestal, and Lighthouse Establishment. Lowell, Massachusetts: Building Conservation Branch, National Park Service, 1997
Pousson, John F. An Overview and Assessment of Archaeological Resources on Ellis Island, Statue of. Liberty National Monument , NPS, Denver Service Center, 1986
Price, Willadene. Bartholdi and the Statue of Liberty . (juvenile). Chicago: Rand McNally, 1959
Rogers, Frances. Big Miss Liberty . (juvenile). New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1938
Schmitt, Jean-Marie. Barthgoldi: Une Certasine Idée de la Liberté . Strasbourg, France: Editions de la Nuée-Bleu, 1986
Shapiro, Mary. Gateway to Liberty: The Story of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. New York: Vintage Books, 1986
Uschold, David. Cultural Landscape Inventory, Liberty Island (Statue of Liberty N.M.). Boston: National Park Service, 1996
Weinbaum, Paul. Statue of Liberty: The Story Behind the Scenery . 1988. Las Vegas: KC Publications
History & Culture: 9
Who were the people behind the Statue? Learn about the designers, builders, and others instrumental in the creation of the Statue of Liberty.
The park's collections consist of tangible objects that help to tell the histories of both Liberty Island and Ellis Islands.
Liberty Island has been represented as a unique place by many different groups, including Native Americans, early colonists and the United States Army.
How has the meaning of the Statue of Liberty evolved since its dedication in 1886? Explore themes like The French Connection and Popular Culture.
The museum collection of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island includes approximately 390,000 individual artifacts and over 1 million archival records.
Visitor information
Visitation
Sources & field notes
Source records (13)
Select a numbered reference to open a source card. Retrieval dates describe this edition’s source capture, rather than an independent verification or the date of the underlying information.
Background · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Designation · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
State or territory · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
Area Map - Statue of Liberty National Monument · National Park Service, Harpers Ferry Center. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source scope
- Statue of Liberty National Monument
- Download
- Official map PDF ↗
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Public domain; NPS map
- Rights
- Public domain; NPS map
Collections · Collections — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source page last updated
- March 27, 2026
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party content may have separate rights.
Cultural Landscape Report for Liberty Island · Cultural Landscape Report for Liberty Island — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source page last updated
- March 26, 2026
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party content may have separate rights.
Library Access · Library Access — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source page last updated
- July 23, 2024
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party content may have separate rights.
Statue of Liberty Bibliography · Statue of Liberty Bibliography — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source page last updated
- February 26, 2015
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party content may have separate rights.
History & Culture · National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party material may have separate rights. No images copied.
Physical Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Mailing Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Telephone · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Recreation visits · National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics. Open source ↗
- Information date
- 2025
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Methodology
- NPS reporting unit; annual total is the sum of 12 monthly recreation visit estimates.
- Reporting unit
- Statue of Liberty NM
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.