Boy Scouts to restore courthouse statue

Once there were 200 of those miniature versions of the Statue of Liberty placed across the country by the Boy Scouts of America between 1949 and 1951.

Their reason for being was to inspire patriotism during the post World War II period.

Back in 1951 four of those statues, called Little Sisters of Liberty, were placed in Ohio — Youngstown, Cleveland, Toledo and Ironton. Ironton placed its Little Sister on the courthouse lawn at the corner of Fourth and Center streets.

After 60 years so many of those replicas have disappeared from their places of prominence, but not the one in the county. Yet Lawrence’s Lady Liberty has turned a bit shabby, assailed by decades of pollution and vandalism that has damaged the statue.

However, a new crop of local Boy Scouts wants to rectify that by setting aside a Saturday next month to restore the statue.

So on Saturday, Nov. 12, the Boy Scout Troop 106 out of Ironton will spent the day cleaning and repainting Lady Liberty.

“It is very historic,” David Lucas, Scoutmaster of Troop 106, said about the statue. “This was during the Cold War and it seems the pendulum is swinging back.”

The next weekend Lucas wants the Troop to host a special ceremony unveiling the Scouts’ work.

“I would like to make this a big deal and take an idea of strengthening liberty,” he said. “To have this great celebration to commemorate it again.”

The ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19.