Statue of Liberty replica back up for National Register nomination

Todd Gill, Fayetteville Flyer

A well-known Fayetteville statue that recently lost its historic designation is back up for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.

The “Strengthen the Arm of Liberty” monument which sits in front of Washington Regional Medical Center was delisted from the register after being moved in 2009 from its original location.

Another replica sits in front of the Old Courthouse in South Bend, Ind.

Amanda Govaert, Creative Commons

The Statue of Liberty replica had been in front of the Wound Care Clinic at the old hospital property on North Street since 1951, when it was donated by the Boy Scouts of America as part of the program’s 40th anniversary.

Over 200 replicas were erected nationally by Boy Scouts, but only two were placed in Arkansas. The other is in Pine Bluff at the Pine Bluff Civic Center.

The monument is one of two Fayetteville properties the State Review Board of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program will consider for nomination to the national register when it meets April 4 in Little Rock.

The Mount Sequoyah Cottages Historic District on East Skyline Drive will also be considered.

If either property is approved by the state board, the nomination will be forwarded to the National Register office of the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. According to the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, a final determination will be made within 45 days of receipt of the nomination.