The view from the ferry to the Statue of Liberty National Monument is beautiful. Sunbeams glance off the New York City skyline and the water. The statue towers over us. As the boat gets closer, I can see the faint outline of the rivets that hold her together. The trip is well worth the $18 price tag, which includes access to Ellis Island and the statue grounds, as well as free tours guided by knowledgeable park rangers, like Lee Fahley.
Fahley, a mild-mannered, Midwestern transplant, greets me as I disembark. He has been giving tours of the monument for five and a half years. Prior to that he was a history teacher in Bayonne, where he lives and cofounded the Bayonne Historical Society. His interest in history makes him a great tour guide. His curiosity about the background of the island and the monument are contagious.
Fahley leads me through airport-style security and into the former Fort Wood part of the grounds. The original torch shines brightly in the entryway. He explains the symbolism in the metalwork, which features a corn motif and other Native American emblems such as spears and arrows. Obviously accustomed to stairs, considering the statue is 377 steps from ground to crown, he ascends a short flight of steps to the museum area.
An audio tour is available in nine languages, but Fahley and the other rangers offer a broader experience. “We give a lot more details,” Fahley says. “You get to ask questions, and we’re in living color.” In fact, some of the most fascinating parts of the tour happen when Fahley goes off script. Though it is well known that Frédéric August Bartholdi designed the statue, we discuss the early design ideas that French abolitionist Edouard de Laboulaye proposed, which were rejected as too politically controversial, such as Lady Liberty holding a broken chain, a not very subtle reminder of one of our country’s most shameful legacies.
The museum shows the monument’s rise from mere concept to American symbol. On display are everything from blueprints to vintage souvenirs.
The pedestal offers a panoramic view of Hudson County and downtown Manhattan. Without a reservation to visit the pedestal and crown (nps.gov), this is as far as we go today. With a tiny bit of jealousy, I watch visitors descend one of two spiral staircases after their climb to the crown.
Huddled Masses
The park grounds are crowded by noon. Large tour groups wear matching T-shirts and grin up at selfie sticks. I realize, maybe for the first time, that it’s important to approach your own city like a tourist instead of taking it for granted.
“At this time of year we get anywhere from 22 to 24 thousand tourists a day,” Fahley says. “They come from all over the world.”
Sometimes those guests are celebrities; guides give private VIP tours to prominent visitors. Fahley recently gave a tour to a count from France who was a descendant of Lafayette. Fahley has a deep interest in genealogy, but it’s iconic Lady Liberty herself that has Fahley star struck.
“This is an American icon, and engineers took the basic idea of what Bartholdi did with the internal framework, and they built skyscrapers,” he marvels. “It was built with nothing but experience and a slide rule.”
“My curiosity in how things are built comes from my agricultural background,” he goes on. “How things work and how they put them together.” Fahley grew up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where he worked on a dairy farm through high school. He later joined the U.S. Navy, where he worked as a parachute rigger. He was stationed at Lakehurst Naval Station (site of the Hindenburg disaster) when he met his future wife, a Hudson County girl, at a dance.
His military background gives him a special connection to the site. He feels privileged “to walk around where U.S. Army soldiers used to walk around defending the harbor, manning the cannons,” he says, pointing out ridges in the stonework where cannons once stood.
Fahley urges everyone to “come over to see Lady Liberty up close and appreciate her magnificence. Take a tour to learn about the history, construction, and symbolism that make her an American icon. By visiting the Statue of Liberty, you too become part of her history.”—JCM