Sidney Lanier1842-1881, American Poet. He became famous for his poems about the beauty of the South. Lanier was born in Macon, Georgia and graduated from Oglethorp College in 1860. He served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War (1861-1865) and spent four months in a union prison camp. After the war Lanier studied law and entered his father’s law firm. In
1873 Lanier resumed his writing career and moved to Baltimore where he
helped support his family by playing the flute in the Peabody Orchestra.
His reputation as a poet grew and in 1879 he became a lecturer at John
Hopkins University. |
Lanier’s Statue of LibertyThe two-year theme of the Boy Scouts of America from 1949 through 1951 was, “Strengthen the Arm of Liberty.” In conjunction with this theme, Boy Scout councils in various parts of the country encouraged the erection of small replicas of the Statue of Liberty in many communities. The one at Lanier was financed by one Cub pack and four Boy Scout troops and erected in 1952. The statue was manufactured by Friedly-Voshardt Co., Chicago. Measuring 8’4” from base to top of the torch, it was stamped out of 42 sheets of copper and braced and crossbraced on the inside. This replica cost around $450 at the time it was molded. In 1966 a brick wall and wrought iron fence were added to enhance its beauty. |