Between 1949 and 1950 the Boy Scouts of America celebrated their fortieth anniversary with the theme of “Strengthen the Arm of Liberty” Approximately two hundred replicas of the Statue of Liberty made of stamped copper, were purchased by Boy Scout troops and donated in 39 states in the U.S. and several of its possessions and territories. The project was the brainchild of Kansas City businessman J.P. Whitaker, who was then Scout Commissioner of the Kansas City Area Council. The copper statues were manufactured by Friedley-Voshardt Co. (Chicago, Illinois) and purchased through the Kansas City Boy Scout office by those wanting one. The statues are approximately 81⁄2 feet tall without the base, are constructed of 40 pieces of sheet copper, weigh 290 pounds and originally cost $350 plus freight. The communities that received the statues were responsible for construction of the base. No official record was kept on the project and over the years many of the statues have been lost or destroyed. A little over 100 are documented to exist.
The City of Juneau received one of statues from the Boy Scouts in 1951 but there is no record that it was ever erected or displayed. It was located in a sand storage building at the Juneau Airport in the early 1970’s where it was destined for the garbage dump. It was rescued and stored at the National Guard Armory until the early 1990’s when it was turned in to the state surplus for disposal. The statue was purchased by a member of the Pioneers of Alaska Men’s Igloo 6 but unfortunately it was stored outside and over the years was transported to many 4th of July parades and other events in the back of a pickup truck. As a result many of the lead soldered seams had separated and there were many dents and the torch arm had be twisted.
The statue was donated to Men’s Igloo 6 in 2010 and it is now being restored by Men’s Igloo 6 member Brad Austin.
