Spirit of America Guitar on Display at Ellis Island

The one-of-a-kind Gibson Les Paul guitar called “The Spirit of America” was on display at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. This trip to New York City was a homecoming of sorts for the custom guitar, which was built at Gibson’s Custom and Historic Division in Nashville, Tennessee, because it was crafted out of materials gathered from the Statue of Liberty during renovations.

The wood for the Spirit of America Guitar’s body comes from Lady Liberty’s stairs and doors, and the copper inlay and hardware is genuine Liberty copper. Even the display for the guitar is a piece of Liberty—it’s part of an armature bar from the statue’s torch handle.

The unveiling of the guitar included an appearance by Duane Eddy, a legendary guitarist, Grammy Award winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Watch the guitar’s dedication ceremony: