Statue of Liberty dedicated in New York

U.S. President Grover Cleveland officially dedicates the Statue of Liberty. Designed by Frederic Bartholdi, the statue was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States. The 152-foot copper and steel sculpture of a woman holding a torch above her head was built in France, then disassembled and sent to New York.

Reconstructed on New York’s Bedloe’s Island, the monument was dedicated by President Cleveland on 28th October 1886. Six years later, Ellis Island, adjacent to Bedloe’s Island, opened as the chief entry station for immigrants to the United States. During the next three decades, the Statue of Liberty welcomed 12 million immigrants to their new home.