Which board administered the Statue of Liberty beginning in 1887?

Which board administered the Statue of Liberty beginning in 1887? The United States Lighthouse Board.

The United States Lighthouse Board administered the Statue of Liberty beginning in 1887. The board took responsibility because the statue’s torch was intended to function as a navigational light for ships entering New York Harbor.

This arrangement followed the statue’s 1886 dedication, when its torch produced only a weak glow and was difficult to see from Manhattan. The Lighthouse Board attempted to improve the illumination, but the statue never became an especially effective lighthouse. Its stewardship nevertheless connected the monument to the rapidly changing technology of maritime navigation.

The board’s administration did not last permanently. In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the statue transferred to the War Department after its lighthouse role was judged unsuccessful. The War Department then managed the site until 1933, when responsibility passed to the National Park Service. The National Park Service continues to administer the Statue of Liberty as part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.