There is no doubt that one of the most recognizable symbols of the United States of America is the Statue of Liberty.  For over a century, Lady Liberty has welcomed people from around the world to New York Harbor.  For millions of immigrants, she was the first thing they saw when they arrived in America.

While the most elaborate restoration of the State of Liberty took place back in the 1980s, the iconic statue has gone through several restorations in the last few decades.

The latest of the restoration projects involves replacing the stones in the walls of the pedestal the massive metal statue stands on.

According to WGME, a Maine company is provide much of the granite needed to fix the pedestal walls.  Freshwater Stone, located in the small town of Orland, is in the process of trucking thousands of tons of granite New York City.

The company's contribution is about 1,000 pieces of stone.  They estimate that they will be working on the project for the rest of the year.

According to the company's website:

Freshwater Stone began as our way of harmonizing business with living and the outdoors. Working with stone gave us the opportunity to engage our physical strength, intellect and creative drive. We were learning a trade as we were building a way of life.  Our business evolved alongside a desire to explore new ways of expressing our trade. Our confidence developed from the feedback we received from delighted customers. With access to advancing technology, machinery and equipment, we were enabled  to take advantage of more challenging opportunities.

For those who do not know, the United States received the Statue of Liberty has a gift from France.  It was designed by sculpture Frederic Batholdi and the framework was designed by Gustave Eiffel (yes, the Eiffel Tower guy).  It was dedicated on October 28th, 1886.  From the ground to the tip of the torch, the statue (and pedestal) measures 305 feet 1 inch.  When open, the statue welcomes millions of visitors per year.  In 2009, the historic site welcomed 3.2 million tourists.

9 Majestic Maine Lakes

One of the things that attracts boaters, fishermen, nature lovers, and outdoor adventurers to the State of Maine are our majestic lakes and ponds. The state has close to 100 decent sized lakes and thousands of much smaller lakes and ponds. We have selected 9 of the most striking lakes for our list.

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