A miniature replica of the Statue of Liberty outside the Goshen County Courthouse that had been neglected for decades has been restored. The “Little Sister of Liberty,” as it’s known, was originally installed and dedicated by local Boy Scouts in November of 1950 as part of a nationwide celebration of the Boy Scouts’ 40th anniversary. The six-foot-tall statue base, featuring local rocks and minerals, was donated by the Rex Young Rock Club in Torrington.
Goshen County Clerk Cindy Kenyon spearheaded the restoration effort. She said she would walk by the statue often because of her job at the courthouse.
“I noticed that over the years she’s become kind of beat up from hail stones, and she’s cracking, she was getting a little water inside. Her crown was broken. The stones were coming loose in the mortar. She just needed a little facelift and a little fixing up,” said Kenyon.
The restoration cost about $8,000 and was mainly funded through a local grant.
“We got a local stonemason that fixed the mortar and made sure that the rocks were held in place, and there was a historic metal refinishing company that came and refinished the statue. We added lighting for security, and now she’s beautiful and ready for another 60, 70 years,” Kenyon said.
A geologist from the Wyoming State Geological also came to survey the 325 rocks and minerals in the base, which turned out to originate mostly from nearby areas.
More than 200 communities originally installed similar statues, including Cheyenne and Rawlins.