On this day in history, August 3, 2004, Statue of Liberty welcomes visitors for first time since 9/11
Fox News
The Statue of Liberty reopened to the public on Aug. 3, 2004, nearly three years after the 9/11 terror attacks destroyed the nearby Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.
The Statue of Liberty's torch was among the structures damaged by explosion fragments. Kerry J. Byrne is a lifestyle reporter with Fox News Digital.
Lady Liberty stood stoically watching over the horror in Lower Manhattan that day, little more than a mile across New York Harbor.
"This beacon of hope and liberty is once again open to the public, sending a reassuring message to the world that freedom is alive in New York and shining brighter than ever before," said then-Gov. George Pataki, as he reopened the Statue of Liberty along with Michael Bloomberg, NYC's then-mayor, plus the Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton, other officials and members of the public.