About Ellis Island

Ellis Island is situated about halfway between lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. Its grandly refurbished processing center stands as a testament to what it means to start life over in a new land. Between 1892 and 1954 Ellis Island received more than 12 million immigrants—one of the greatest mass migrations in history. Today more 100 million Americans, some 30 percent of the country's population, can trace their ancestry in the US to one of the men, women, or children who passed from a steamship to a ferry to the inspection lines in the great Registry Room at Ellis Island.

A Bit of History

The Island - During the 1700s, the island was irreverently known as Gibbet Island, thanks to the fact that state criminals were executed here by means of hanging them from a "gibbet," or gallows tree. Samuel Ellis bought the land in 1785, and his heirs sold it to the state of New York in 1808. Like Governors Island and Bedloe's (now Liberty) Island, it held a fort to defend the harbor. In 1890 the island was chosen as a site for a federal immigrant processing center.

America's Great Immigrant Gateway - Inaugurated in 1892, Ellis Island quickly became the main port of entry for newcomers to America, replacing the old Immigrant Landing Station at Castle Garden, now known as Castle Clinton which had operated from 1855 to 1890. From 1900 to 1924, an average of 5,000 new arrivals were processed daily, the majority in less than eight hours (only 2 percent of hopefuls were denied entry and shipped back to their country of origin, mainly for health reasons). Once cleared, immigrants took a ferry to the Battery in Manhattan. One third of them settled in or near New York City; the rest traveled on to other parts of the country, often to meet relatives.

The Complex - The wooden buildings first used to house the immigration center were destroyed by fire in 1897, only five years after opening. A fireproof replacement, designed in the Beaux-Arts style by the local firm of Boring and Tilton, opened in December 1900. Despite its massive proportions, that building quickly proved too small, prompting the addition of wings and a third floor, as well as the expansion of the island, with landfill, from three acres to 27.5 acres. Thirty-three additional buildings were ultimately constructed. Most remain standing, but shuttered. Restrictive laws and quotas passed in the 1920s diminished Ellis Island's importance as a reception site, and by 1953 the facility was deemed too expensive to keep open—the island's staff numbered 250 to oversee a population of about 230 detained immigrants. In 1954 the last detainee, a seaman who had over­stayed his shore leave, was ferried back to the mainland, and the doors were closed. Shortly afterward, the government tried to sell the site as surplus federal property, but no bid was judged high enough.

Decades of Neglect - For 10 years Ellis Island stood vacant, subject to vandals and looters who made off with anything they could carry, from doorknobs to filing cabinets. The building's Beaux-Arts copper ornamentation deteriorated. Snow swirled through broken windows, roofs leaked, and weeds sprang up in corridors. Upon seeing the island's dilapidated state, Stewart Udall, Secretary of the Interior for President Lyndon Johnson, urged President Johnson to place the island in the permanent care of the National Park Service. Johnson complied, and Ellis Island became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965. A New Beginning - Restoration of the Main Building began in earnest in the 1980s. Often compared to the refurbishment of the Palace of Versailles in France, the project took eight years to complete, at a cost of $156 million. The building reopened its doors in September 1990 as the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.

Ellis Island Immigration Museum

Free ranger-guided tours (45min) of the museum are offered throughout the day; the schedule is posted at the information desk located in the first-floor bag­gage room. Recorded audio tours of the museum are available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Japanese; headsets ($6) can be rented at the concession stand:212-344-0996.

Crowned by four copper-domed towers, the former processing center (1900) has been restored to reflect its appearance from 1918 to 1924, the years of peak immigration. Five thousand artifacts spread throughout the museum's 30 galleries, along with recordings, films, and live performances, tell the story of the building's role in the Great Migration to America.

First Floor - Visitors enter the baggage room, where immigrants were separated— sometimes forever—from their precious belongings. The old railroad office, to the north, houses the "Peopling of America" exhibit, which uses statistical displays to chronicle the history of immigration and ethnicity in the US from the 17Ctothe present. Highlights include a 6ft globe that traces worldwide migration patterns since the 18C; and the "Word Tree," which explains the origin of many American words. A poignant 30min film titled Island of Hope/Island of Tears portrays the human face of migration; it is screened in the two theaters located in the eastern wing ( pick up free tickets to the film at the Information Desk as soon as you enter the museum; shows fill up quickly). The western wing houses the American Family Immigration History Center, where visitors can research their family heritage via a computerized database.

Second Floor - The sweeping two-story Registry Room/Great Hall** was the
site of the initial inspection of immigrants, who awaited their fate while queuing behind metal pens. The hall that once accommodated thousands has been left empty, save for a few scattered benches, to serve as a grand, quiet memorial. The pride of the 17,300sq ft hall is its impressive vaulted ceiling. After a fire, the ceiling was rebuilt in 1917 by Spaniard Rafael Guastavino and his son with interlocking tiles; only 17 ofthe 28,000 tiles had to be replaced during restoration. Third Floor-The highlight ofthis floor,'Treasures from Home," presents objects donated by immigrants and their families, from a teddy bear to an elaborate wedding gown. In "Silent Voices," large photographs taken before the restoration evoke the eerie feeling of an abandoned place, while furnishings recall the daily routine of processing, registering and caring for immigrants. Another exhibit, tracing 300 years ofthe island's history, displays five detailed models showing the evolving site plans ofthe island between 1897 and 1940. Along the north wall ofthe mezzanine, a narrow dorm room has been furnished to reflect the cramped living conditions experienced by some ofthe detainees. Live Performances - There are two regularly scheduled theater pieces performed at the museum. Staged May-Oct only, "Ellis Island Stories" ( $3) is a 30min play in which an inspector interviews three immigrants about entering the country. The dialogue was taken directly from interviews contained in the museum's Oral History Collection. "Voices from the Past" is a performance series in which a single actor dramatizes some aspect of Ellis Island history. Recent shows have included "Irving Berlin's America," "Bela Lugosi and the Legend of Dracula," and "TheTitanic: A Survivor's Story." Show times are posted at the Information Desk, where tickets { $2-$3) may be purchased. Grounds - Facing Manhattan, the American Immigrant Wall of Honor serves as a memorial to the nation's immigrant heritage. The 652.5ft-long, double-sided, semicircular wall contains the names of more than 600,000 individuals and families whose descendants have honored them by donating to the Ellis Island restoration project (for more information on how to add a name, call @> 212-561-4500). The terrace offers breathtaking views** ofthe Manhattan skyline.

Visiting

Open year-round daily 9:30am-5pm. Closed Dec 25.

212-363-3200. www.ellisisland.comorwww.nps.gov/elis.

Free ranger-guided tours (45min) of the museum are offered throughout the day; the
schedule is posted at the information desk located in the first-floor baggage room. 

Recorded audio tours of the museum are available in English, French, German,
Spanish, Italian and Japanese; headsets ( $6) can be rented at the concession
stand: 212-344-0996.