The Posted coordiantes will lead you to the bust of Columbia Triumphiant. On the front of the statue is an abbriviated version of it's history. To find the second stage:
The year damaged by lighting = ABCD
The year replica made = EFGH
Stage 2 is located as: N 40° 15.HBA' W 74° 16.DFH'
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The hidden histoy of Columbia Triumphant
The unveiling of the Liberty Triumphant statue in 1884 drew close to 20,000 people and various dignitaries to freehold; including the former civil was general, Governor George B. McClellan. The statue was perched atop a 94ft shaft in Monument Park in front of the Monmouth Courthouse, on the corner of Court and Monument Streets.
A lightning strike caused severe damage to the nose, left ear, sword hilt and drape of the sculpture. Residents raise $3500 to replace the damaged statue and it was remove and brought to Quincy Mass., where an exact replica was made and replaced atop the Battle of Monmouth shaft.
As for the old statue, the lower part was demolished, but the upper 4 1/2 feet was to be returned to Freehold with the intention of displaying it along Main Street by the Monmouth County Courthouse (now the hall of records). Unfortunately, this placement did not occur at that time and the statue ended up discarded and forgotten. It was discovered by a junk dealer during the 1940's in a pile of debris in Lakewood. He retrieved the two-ton statue and put it on display at his home. However, once again, the statue was moved and lost. Sixty years later, a local Freehold historian tracker her down in a backyard in Jackson Township amidst mud and old railroad artifacts. In 2000 the money was raise by selling bricks placed around the walkway where the status was to be erected.
Take a look at the bricks nearby and see if you can spot a famous name.
In 2003, Liberty Triumphant returned to Freehold, was renamed Columbia Triumphant and went on displayed in the area it was originally intended.
This cache is certified Central Jersey!
