Four views of the Statue of Liberty.
The National
Monument
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY was declared a national
monument by Presidential proclamation on October 15, 1924, the monument
boundaries being set at the outer edge of old Fort Wood. The War
Department continued to administer the entire island until, in 1933,
again by Presidential proclamation, the Statue of Liberty National
Monument was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Department of the
Interior, the Army retaining the remainder of the island as a military
post.
In 1937, another Presidential proclamation declared
the Army Post abandoned and jurisdiction of the entire island passed to
the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
While Bedloe's Island, with an area of approximately
12 acres, is located in the Upper Bay of New York Harbor, it is
geographically in the territorial waters of New Jersey. The island
itself above the mean low-water mark is in New York State, pursuant to
an interstate compact entered into by New Jersey and New York in 1834.
The State of New Jersey retains the riparian rights to all the submerged
land surrounding the statue and extending eastward to the normal
interstate boundary line at the middle of the Hudson River Channel.
The actual location of Bedloe's Island is
approximately three-eighths land miles offshore from Jersey City, N. J.,
which is the source of telephone, power, and water services. It is about
1-5/8 land miles from the Battery, at the southern tip of Manhattan
Island, New York City. Transportation and mail services are provided by
boat from the Battery. At present a privately owned ferry line is
operating under contract with the United States Government.
How to Reach the
Monument
THE BOAT for the Statue of Liberty National Monument
leaves at Pier A, foot of Battery Place, at the southernmost extremity
of Manhattan, New York, every hour on the hour, from 9 a. m. to 4 p. m.
When daylight saving time is in effect, departures are made from 9 a.
m. to 5 p. m. At certain times during the summer, half-hour schedules
are maintained. The ferry is easily reached by Broadway bus, I. R. T.
subway, or B. M. T. subway.
Administration
STATUE OF LIBERTY National Monument is a unit of the
National Park System owned by the people of the United States and
administered by the National Park Service of the Department of the
Interior.
A superintendent, as representative of the National
Park Service is in immediate charge of the monument. Also employed by
the National Park Service to serve the public on Bedloe's Island are
guides, guards, historical aids, and an elevator operator.
All communications concerning the monument should be
addressed to the Superintendent, Statue of Liberty National Monument,
Bedloe's Island, New York 4, N. Y.
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