Miss Freedom

The statue atop the Georgia State Capitol building.

Miss Freedom, originally christened as Goddess of Liberty, is the name of the statue adorning the dome of the Georgia State Capitol since 1889. Commissioned in 1884, the hollow copper statue is painted white, weighs over 1600 lbs and is over 26 feet tall. She was sculpted with a torch in her right hand and a sword in her left. The torch is a functioning Mercury vapor lamp, casting a blue-green light at night.Torch in right hand was supposed to be a working light continuously , but it remained dark until it was reconstructed in 1959.Tube and trolley systems installed so the bulb can be changed from the inside.

History

There were two different capitol locations before the final and current location.[1] The current capitol building resides in the city of Atlanta.[1] Construction of the Atlanta capitol started on November 13, 1884.[1] The building took four and a half years and 250 men to complete.[1] The statue of Miss Freedom was installed in 1888.[2] Completion, and opening of the building, took place on March 20, 1889.[1]

The statue's origin is vague as the original documents pertaining to the construction of the State Capitol and Miss Freedom were burned. What records remain show that it originally came from the company Edbrooke & Burnham in Salem, Ohio.[3] The statue's name prior to its christening is unknown, but it has possessed the names Miss Freedom, Liberty, and Goddess of Liberty.[3][1]

Description

The statute wears a Phrygian cap,[4] or pileus, adorned with a star. It wears a robe and holds a torch in her right hand and a sword in her left. The torch is meant to represent the guidance to a higher state and people who lost their lives in order to gain freedom. The light represents truth and enlightenment, while the sword symbolizes the fight of people who seek liberty.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Georgia State Capitol". georgiaencyclopedia.org. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Georgia State Capitol". Way Into Atlanta. November 7, 2013. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Statues on our State Capitols, Favorite Stories and Images". tigerleaf.com. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  4. 1 2 Pollack, Deborah C. (2015-01-18). Visual Art and the Urban Evolution of the New South. Univ of South Carolina Press. ISBN 978-1-61117-433-5.

Coordinates: 33°44′56.35″N 84°23′17.33″W / 33.7489861°N 84.3881472°W / 33.7489861; -84.3881472

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