Mini statues of liberty brought patriotism to towns across Nebraska, then Omaha's disappeared

John Lajba has grown accustomed to having Lady Liberty loom over him while he works in his downtown Omaha studio.

Still, the sculptor would rather see the weathered 9-foot copper statue depart his studio shelf – its home for the past 30 years – and placed back where it belongs.

"It's been ... out of sight and out of people's memories for too long," Lajba said.

He might get his wish.

Momentum appears to be building to restore and return the statue to its pedestal in Omaha's Turner Park, where it once was a target for vandals and mischief makers.

Dedicated in 1951, the statue was a gift from the Omaha Boy Scouts Covered Wagon Council – one of around 200 paid for by local scouts across the country to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Boy Scouts of America.

The statues, each tabbed a "Little Sister of Liberty," were manufactured in Chicago, weighed 200 pounds and carried a cost of $350 plus freight. Made of hammered sheet copper soldered together, their hollow form made them susceptible to denting and other damage, Lajba said.

To put Omaha's Little Liberty back in place would take work. The arm with the torch is missing, he said, as is her crown, and her right leg is crushed. "It's important that she be restored using the original methods used to create her."

Chris Mehaffey, chief executive officer and scout executive of the Mid-America Council of the Boy Scouts of America, said he was unaware the statue still existed. The council will find a way to support the statue's refurbishment and return to Turner Park, he said.

Omaha's Little Liberty was one of at least 15 placed in Nebraska communities in the early 1950s. All remain standing – except Omaha's – although some have been restored or relocated within their communities.

Some of those Little Liberties have lived hard lives.

The infamous 1980 tornadoes in Grand Island knocked off the spikes from Little Liberty's crown, bent her arm and pushed her torch out of place. In 2013, the community raised $5,000 to restore the statue, which sits in Grand Island's Pier Park.

"It's holding up well," said Don Deitemeyer, who coordinated the restoration project for the Hall County Historical Society. "I'm keeping an eye on it."

Norfolk's statue was one strong storm from being toppled, said Chris Amundson, who with the late Thomas Bressler, led a $12,000 fundraising effort to restore its Little Liberty, which resides in the community's Central Park.

"She's beautiful," Amundson said. "She's standing proud."

Alma's statue is slated for relocation – 10 feet to the east – and some TLC, said Cindy Boehler, a Harlan County board member. The statue, which has a damaged hand and crown, will be restored and placed in front of the Harlan County courthouse flagpole where Boehler said "she'll be the center of attention" after some years of rough treatment.

"She's been climbed on," Boehler said, noting she has a photo of one of her children doing just that. "I'm not proud of that. Still, she's in pretty good shape for her age."

Lincoln's Little Liberty initially stood in Antelope Park at the corner of 27th and A streets. Zoo expansion caused two relocations. The statue now rests in the park's veterans memorial Garden.

The statue requires regular restoration attention, including a recent new protective coating, said Lynn Johnson, former parks and recreation director. "It's a bright and shiny copper color now."

Statues also remain in Beatrice, Chadron, Columbus, David City, Falls City, Fremont, Gering, Hastings, North Platte and Scottsbluff.

Omaha's statue drew a crowd for its dedication. Alfred "Bud" Root, a scout who presented the statue to the city, noted that the principles for which it stands are the answer "to all our Isms and dictators," The World-Herald reported.

Omaha's Little Liberty was mistreated in Turner Park before disappearing from public view.

The statue was reported missing in January 1974, only to reappear the following May. In November 1976, the statue disappeared again. It was returned nine months later when, according to World-Herald columnist Robert McMorris, some elementary school students found it in the bushes and carried it to the pedestal.

In 1986, then-Mayor Mike Boyle called for the community to raise $7,000 for a new statue in Turner Park.

"This is something the community needs to do," he told The World-Herald. "It will be good for the city if we work for it."

It didn't happen. Ten years later, the original was moved from city storage to Lajba's studio with the thought that someday the restored statue would be returned to Turner Park

Lajba still wants to see that happen and thinks it would make a good group project involving students, art conservationists and others. But Jim Thompson, a longtime member of the Turner Park Neighborhood Association, said he's working independently to find financial backing to fund a new statue.

A replacement should mirror the original, Lajba said, which itself is not an identical replica of the Statue of Liberty in New York City. The Little Liberties, for example, have less girth and their folds are slightly minimalized, Lajba said.

Matt Kalcevich, director of Omaha's Parks and Recreation Department, said he would welcome a restored statue or a replacement in Turner Park. Kalcevich, who also oversees the city's Public Art Commission, said art adds to what parks offer.

A benefactor would be needed, he said, to return the Little Sister of Liberty to her perch in Turner Park.

​Lloyd Roitzen, retired president and scout executive of the Mid-America Council, remembers when the statue was twice stolen and twice returned. Roitzen would like to see Omaha's Little Liberty returned to its pedestal in the park.

"It's been a part of our history," he said. "No organization is more patriotic than the Boy Scouts of America."

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