Paragould War Memorial – Paragould, Arkansas - Atlas Obscura

Paragould War Memorial

Paragould, Arkansas

This Lady Liberty is the oldest replica of its kind outside the state of New York. 

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While the Statue of Liberty is obviously the oldest version of Lady Liberty on American shores, the first replica of the statue to be erected outside of New York is still standing outside an Arkansas courthouse. 

The Paragould War Memorial is a scaled-down bronze replica of Lady Liberty, standing seven-feet tall. Dedicated on November 11th, 1924, she pays tribute to the 40 soldiers of that county who were killed in World War I. Since its creation, the bronze statue has remained on the grounds of the historic Green County Courthouse, and in the 1940s marble slabs were added, inscribed with the names of the people lost in more recent wars.

Unlike the statue’s towering inspiration, the Paragould Lady Liberty stands just seven feet tall atop a marble block that is surrounded by flowers and greenery. It’s not a bad place to stand for a statue. 

Besides her spurious claim to fame as the oldest U.S. Statue of Liberty replica outside New York, she’s also notable for being the only WWI memorial in the state of Arkansas that isn’t fashioned in the form of a classic doughboy.

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