The Statue of Liberty has been standing guard at the mouth of New York harbor since her dedication on October 28, 1886.  She is a symbol of welcome to immigrants arriving to the United States.  She has been closed for six months due to damage from Superstorm Sandy.  However, one part of her structure has been sealed off to visitors after a terror attack nearly a century ago. Given as a gift from the people of France, Lady Liberty was designed and constructed by artist Frederic Bartholdi.  Completed in stages, parts of the new statue were displayed in both France, New York, and at international expositions before being crated up and shipped to the US.  Once the appropriate funds were raised, she was assembled on what was then called Bedloe’s Island, now known as Liberty Island. The statue, representing the Roman goddess of freedom, features one foot moving forward to symbolize progress and a broken chair at her feet.  She holds a tablet with the inscription July 4, 1776, the date of American independence from the British. New York City held its first ticker tape parade to celebrate that statue’s completion with President Grover Cleveland on hand for the festivities and dedication. The statue has welcomed millions of visitors over the years.  When the statue reopens, visitors will once again be able to climb the long spiral staircase to the crown and take a peek out the windows high above the harbor for spectacular views of New York City and the busy waterway. But, there was once another part of the statue visitors were permitted to tour, until a terror attack that occurred in 1916 known as “The Black Tom Explosion.” Black Tom was once an island in the New York Harbor located a short distance from the Statue of Liberty.  The island was connected to the mainland Jersey City, New Jersey by a long causeway and railroad track.  Eventually, the area between the mainland and island was filled in and officially became part of the city.  A huge pier and warehouses were also constructed on the site. The island became a major munitions depot where American companies were able to sell weapons and ammunitions, which were in large demand across the Atlantic for the upcoming World War I.  Being allied with France and Britain, they were the only two countries allowed to make purchases from the depot. After midnight on July 30, 1916, several small fires were discovered on the pier.  While some locals tried to extinguish the flames themselves, the Jersey City Fire Department was called in. At 2:08am, a major explosion took place with residents being shaken from their beds by earthquake like vibrations that registered between 5.0 and 5.5 on the Richter Scale. The force was so powerful, that windows were blown out all over Manhattan and as far as 25 miles away.  The Brooklyn Bridge was shaken, but undamaged.  The outer wall of Jersey City’s City Hall was cracked and a large clock in the Journal Square neighborhood over a mile away was hit and damaged. The noise and vibration could be felt as far away as Maryland and Connecticut. On Ellis Island, frightened immigrants that were being processed at the time were evacuated by ferry to Manhattan. The Statue of Liberty took $100,000 in damage after shrapnel pierced many parts, including several pieces that lodged in the arm.  As a result the torch, outer walkway, and arm were permanently closed.   The narrow hatchway inside that once welcomed visitors is still gated off to the public, but does allow access for employees to conduct repairs. According to historic records and government investigations, the munitions were set on fire by the Germans, who did not want the weapons to make it across the Atlantic due to a military blockade. Several different conclusions have been drawn as to how the fire was carried out, with one...