More than 50 years have passed since then-Benton mayor Virgil H. Center uttered the words, “In these tense times and these days of questionable loyalties, it would be proper and timely to erect one of these statues in our beloved home town of Benton.”
The words ring true again as members of the Benton Public Library District board strive to meet the $20,000 goal to restore the Statue of Liberty replica that was dedicated on May 28, 1950.
Board member Jake Seymour recalls that hot day in May.
“I was a Cub Scout,” Seymour said. “I don’t have a clear memory of the dedication ceremony because I was only 10, but I remember it was hot outside and there were a lot of people.”
Seymour said he now has a wealth of information about the day’s event.
“I received a file folder filled with the history behind the dedication ceremony,” he said. “The history came as a huge surprise and I was grateful to get it. It is interesting to look back as to how the statue got here, the dedication ceremony and life in 1950.”
Library director Erin Steinsultz said the file folder belonged to Center’s daughter Josephine Straus.
“Josephine gave the folder to Donna Graves who brought it into the library,” she said. “We keep the information closely guarded because we can not replicate it.”
Seymour said Straus and her husband operated the Capitol Theater and the Midway Drive-in Theater that was located between Benton and West Frankfort.
“The Boy Scouts of America were preparing to celebrate their 40th anniversary,” Seymour said.
Benton, Ill. —
