American Icons

Resolute Desk

In the 1850’s, Edward Belcher was searching for the Northwest Passage in a ship know as the Resolute when he became stuck in the arctic ice.  The ships were abandoned and two years later they were found by an American fisherman named James Buddington. The remains were taken back to Queen Victoria and assembled back into a boat.  The boat was used in the Royal Navy for another 23 years until it was decommissioned and made into what is now known as the resolute desk.  The desk was then given to President Hayes in November of 1880 and has been in the White House ever since.  Since President Hayes the desk has gone through two major changes, a panel was installed to hide FDR’s wheelchair and the desk was raised so that Ronald Regan’s chair he brought from California could fit underneath it.

Statue of Liberty

After discussing a suitable gift to celebrate the Centennial of the Declaration of Independence the Frenchman Frederic Bartholdi was commissioned to create a statue.   He created two smaller models one in Paris and the other in Maceio Brazil in order to get an idea for the one in he was to create in New York City.  The United States agreed to create the base if the French would create and assemble the statue.  The statue came in 350 pieces which were shipped over in 214 crates.  The construction was finished on August 11, 1885 and was unveiled by President Cleveland on October 28, 1886.  Since then the statue has undergone renovation including adding floodlights and repairing damage caused by the Black Tom Explosion during WWI.