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Located in the Dauphin Narrows stretch of the Susquehanna River stands a mini Statue of Liberty that is a 25-foot-tall replica of the original. Technically it is a replica of a replica. The current statue is the second little Lady Liberty to hold her torch high above the old railway piling in the middle of the river.
The first was 18 feet tall and made of plywood and venetian blinds. It was erected in 1986 as a patriotic prank to commemorate the centennial of the original Statue of Liberty. No one knew who made it or how it got there, and no one would come forward to take the credit/blame.
This first replica was blown off her pedestal and destroyed in 1992, a surprisingly long run considering its construction materials. However, in the six years since she had first appeared, the people of Dauphin Township had grown rather fond of her. Money was raised to erect a heavier, sturdier 25-foot version of the statue, this time constructed from metal. This one was put in place in 1997 by a helicopter and lashed to the piling. It still stands today.
It wasn’t until years later in 2011 that local lawyer, Gene Stlip, finally owned up to not only orchestrating the making of the statue but also taking the daring trip into the dangerous river water to climb the piling and help erect the statue. Little did he know his prank would become a permanent monument for the people of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Being a lawyer, Stlip also pointed out that the statute of limitations for prosecuting the crime of illegal statue placement has long since passed.
Submitted by Atlas Obscura contributor Jane Weinhardt Goldberg.
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