Liberty Square opened as part of the Magic Kingdom and Walt Disney World's grand opening on October 1, 1971, as one of the original six themed lands. It is located in the northwest corner, bordering
Fantasyland and
Frontierland. The Square also has bridges to the park's central hub, as well as
Adventureland. Forming its western border is the Rivers of America, on which the Liberty Belle travels. It is also the smallest land by guest area in the Magic Kingdom.
As of 2007, it is the only land yet to undergo a major refurbishment. All of the attractions, original from October 1, 1971, still exist in some form or another. No major additions have been made. The theming in the Square is comprehensive and accurate to the time period, from major architectural and engineering homages to the small
antiques and artifacts peppered throughout the many attractions and dining locations.
Liberty Square begins an architectural progression through history and geographically across the United States. This progression begins with the
Haunted Mansion (1770s or '80s, upstate New York) and travels clockwise around the Rivers of America into
Frontierland terminating at
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (1880s, southern California).
A replica of the
House of Burgesses features
Paul Revere's lanterns signifying "two if by sea" in an upstairs window.
The Liberty Tree is an actual 100-year-old oak found on the property and transplanted, with a younger oak grafted into the base.
The
Liberty Bell replica was cast from the mold of the actual
Liberty Bell in 1989. An urban legend falsely claims that it is one of two bells ever cast from this mold, however there are many others also cast from it. Yet another urban legend claims that this bell is the one that was cast for
Pennsylvania, as one of the 50 cast for states in 1976. According to the legend, Pennsylvania gave it to Walt Disney World since they already had the original. However, Pennsylvania's replica is located in
Allentown.[5][6][7]
There are architectural representations of each of the original
13 colonies.
The state flags of each of the original 13 states, as well as the American flag, fly in a plaza in the center of Liberty Square.
The brown pavement is meant to represent human waste (urine and excrement) since there was no indoor plumbing in colonial times. Urban legend [8]