Just home from long trip, something disappointed me

Hi. Haven't been on here for awhile even before my trip to the great Northeast, but I had to speak my piece on something I saw last week. We went on a trip up the East Coast in our camper, taking my son along with us. He's in his 30's and like us, he'd never seen the Statue of Liberty. We camped in a great campground in Jersey City and from there you could see both the Statue and the new WTC building. We had a magnificent view of the NYC skyline.
The first morning after we arrived we had tickets to see the Statue and were very excited when we boarded the ferry which left just outside our camping area. We saw Ellis Island and then sailed over to see Lady Liberty. It was magnificent, all I ever thought it would be. After going to the top, I decided to find the plaque where we all know it talks about giving us your poor and tired, and about how the lamp is there to light the path to our shores.
It's been removed.
I don't know when it was removed, but I intend to find out if I can.
It is now in a museum underneath the statue, and you have to ask for directions to even find the museum.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. This one incident disturbed my vacation for several days.

When we finally got away from NYC and finished up our journey at Niagra Falls, which should be one of the 7 wonders of the world, I finally relaxed and was able to enjoy my trip again. If any of you has never seen Niagra, put it on your bucket list. The rainbows over the water alone are worth the trip. The rumors are that the flow of the water is so strong that it affects the ions in the air and puts out negative ions which are supposed to make you feel good. It must be true, because that was one of the most amazing events of my life. Hope you all get a chance to see it.

Now that I've finally had time to look up the history of the plaque, I see that it was removed from the pedestal in 1986 when the statue underwent "renovations." I don't mean to start a storm, but as soon as I saw it was down inside the museum where it could not be readily seen, I made the comment that "I'll bet it was done when some Republican was in the White House."
Yes. Ronald Reagan

If I were elected POTUS, a doubtful event, the first thing I'd do was order that it be put back where it could be more readily seen.

Interesting observation, Eddard.

That placard should be put back up.

Did you get a picture of the blank spot?

No, I wish I had though. It's just that it's quoted so often and most people believe it is there on the pedestal of the statue. Something like that should be important enough to put back, no matter what the renovations were.

That would have upset me too, although I doubt Reagan had anything to do with having the plaque removed.

I agree... Niagara Falls is kind of exhilarating. I visited when i was in my 20s and still remember how it felt to breathe the air there... or the mist, or whatever. Pretty neat.

maybe I'll start some shit on Facebook about this. This looks like the placard.

Niagra is on my bucket list. I want to feel the rumble and see the mist.

I went to Niagara Falls once and a big part of the visit is going for a ride on the Maid of the Mist, which is a boat that gets up close to where the water lands after it falls..  You WILL get wet on the ride...

I'm sure there was a Democrat mayor and governor when the plaque was removed.. The President has more important things to worry about..

Jake92 wrote:

I went to Niagara Falls once and a big part of the visit is going for a ride on the Maid of the Mist, which is a boat that gets up close to where the water lands after it falls..  You WILL get wet on the ride...

I'm sure there was a Democrat mayor and governor when the plaque was removed..  The President has more important things to worry about..  

Jake, Ellis Island is Federal property, isn't it?  If so, the mayor and governor have no authority out there.

Saw this pic recently, Niagra Falls without water.  Interesting.  1969 American Falls

Last winter there were pictures of the falls frozen over solid.. The water was still running under the ice..

1965-1976
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson issues Proclamation 3656, according to which Ellis Island falls under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service as part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.

1982-1990
In 1982, at the request of President Ronald Reagan, Lee Iacocca of the Chrysler Corporation heads the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation to raise funds from private investors for the restoration and preservation of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

1998
In 1998, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that New Jersey has authority over the south side of Ellis Island, or the section composed of the landfill added after 1834. New York retains authority over the island’s original 3.5 acres, which includes the bulk of the Main Arrivals Building.

After a lengthy court battle, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1998 that the state of New Jersey, not New York, had authority over the majority of the 27.5 acres that make up Ellis Island. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the island’s southern portion, or the section composed of landfill added after 1834, is part of Jersey City. New York retained ownership over the original three acres, including the Main Arrivals Hall and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.

Niagara Falls is beautiful...we stayed on the Canadian side in hotel overlooking the falls.

Jake92 wrote:

1965-1976
In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson issues Proclamation 3656, according to which Ellis Island falls under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service as part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.

1982-1990
In 1982, at the request of President Ronald Reagan, Lee Iacocca of the Chrysler Corporation heads the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation to raise funds from private investors for the restoration and preservation of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

1998
In 1998, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that New Jersey has authority over the south side of Ellis Island, or the section composed of the landfill added after 1834. New York retains authority over the island’s original 3.5 acres, which includes the bulk of the Main Arrivals Building.

After a lengthy court battle, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1998 that the state of New Jersey, not New York, had authority over the majority of the 27.5 acres that make up Ellis Island. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the island’s southern portion, or the section composed of landfill added after 1834, is part of Jersey City. New York retained ownership over the original three acres, including the Main Arrivals Hall and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.

    So it was Reagan's fault as indicated?.....National Parks Service?....Lee Iacocca?...Supreme Court?....New York?...New Jersey?...Bet it was George W. Bush's fault.....HAD to be done while a Republican was in the White House and had the power to remove a plaque....

Eric, that picture of the American Falls without water is very sad. The American Falls are so much smaller than the Canadian ones are. From what we could figure out about the topography and the barriers when we were there, you can't actually see the Canadian falls from the American side. We tried one evening to walk from the American falls over to see the Canadian ones and the walkway was blocked off. I'm very happy that we packed our passports. I saw the pictures of the falls last winter when they froze up and they were extremely beautiful then. A big part of the fun is feeling the cool mist and going down below the falls on the "Lady of the Mist" though. Just an incredible experience.

And media, nope, I never said George W had anything to do with the plaque not being placed on the base of the statue. That's one thing he didn't mess up, for a change. I don't know who had control of the island where the statue is located back then. Ellis Island is a separate island, of course. I just figure it had to be the federal government, but it may not have been.

Whoever did it ought not to have done it, that's all I know for sure.