NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — A mini replica of the Statue of Liberty arrived at the Port of Elizabeth on Wednesday, just in time for Independence Day.
The 10-foot replica, which is lovingly being called Lady Liberty's "little sister," will be displayed near her big sister on Ellis Island this weekend before moving to her new permanent home at the gardens of the French Embassy in Washington, D.C.
The mini-Lady Liberty traveled across the Atlantic Ocean and arrived from France to celebrate the 135th anniversary of the original statue coming to the U.S.
"The artistic and technological challenges that were involved in bringing this statue to America are a tale of what international cooperation means and how it succeeds," said French Ambassador to the United States Phillipe Étienne.
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Both the French and American national anthems were played to celebrate the replica's arrival during a ceremony at the port.
The bronze statue is made from the original plaster cast that was used on her big sister, which was gifted to the U.S. from France in 1885.
"I hope and trust her presence will enlighten all who see her, to live up to her values in their own lives and actions and to the highest shared values of our two nations," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said.
The statue, which had been displayed in Paris at the Musee des Arts et Metiers, is scheduled to arrive in the nation's capital in time for France's Bastille Day celebrations on July 14.
It will stand in the French Embassy gardens for the next decade.
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