Today’s Mystery Photo doesn’t look like a place to visit on a winter’s day. Yep, it’s a beach, but where? Send your answer to elliott@brack.net, and include your hometown.
The most recent Mystery Photo was a refreshing story of ingenuity on the part of a Lions Club in McRae, Ga. Several readers researched the photo, and came up with the right answer. The photo came from Brian Brown of Fitzgerald in his “Vanishing Georgia” series.
Jane Bane of Lawrenceville told us: “This photo of Lady Liberty is in the Telfair County War Memorial in McRae, GA. There is also a replica of the Liberty Bell in the memorial park in McRae.” Others recognizing the photo include Jim Savadelis, Duluth: Raleigh Perry, Buford; Lou Camerio, Lilburn; Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; Lynn Naylor, Norcross; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex.
Peel wrote: “Today’s mystery photo is of a 1/12-size replica of the Statue of Liberty at the corner of Golden Isles Parkway and U.S. Highway 280 in downtown McRae, Georgia. Since the original statue in New York is 305-feet tall, this means that the one in McRae is 25-feet tall, from the ground to the tip of the torch.
“It was built in 1976 by the Lion’s Club McRae to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of our country. The club raised the money to build the monument by themselves, but the fund raising was shy on funds, and so they decided to source a lot of the material locally and to make the statue themselves. As such, the original head of the statue was made out of a tree stump that was retrieved from a local swamp, and the hand holding the torch was made from an electrical man’s glove. Styrofoam and a lot of recycled material was used during the construction of the statue. Throughout the years, the statue has had some materials replaced, and is somewhat stronger and more weather resistant now.
“While not visible in the mystery photo, this location, informally known as McRae Liberty Square, is also home to a replica of the Liberty Bell and as well as a World War II Memorial. The Liberty Bell replica was also built using recycled materials, with the basic structure being crafted from an old bell from a local firehouse. And in case you were wondering … yes, the McRae’s Liberty Bell does have a crack in it … created by splitting open the firehouse bell with a sledgehammer. Details are important when crafting replicas!”
Graf adds: “Said Ray Bowers of the Club, “We never knew it would be so pretty.” The green lady is illuminated by spotlights at night.”
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