Ellis Island
That's probably because millions of Americans have a connection to the
island, through which their ancestors passed on the way from their
homeland to their brand new home in America. Records indicate that more
than half of all Americans had a relative who passed through Ellis
Island.
What is Ellis Island?
Aerial view of the island
From 1892 to 1954, Ellis Island was the immigrant gateway to America.
More than 12 million people would arrive here on the way to their new
life in a new country. Many had little or no money, some were ill,
others had family waiting for them on the other side of the gate. The
stories are many and varied, but all arrived hoping for something
different and better than what they had in their homeland.
The 27.5-acre (11 hectare) site is located just off the southern tip of Manhattan, within viewing distance of the Statue of Liberty. It was originally built just prior to the War of 1812 to serve as a coastal fortification, known as Fort Gibson.
Immigrants who arrived here (Italy and Austro-Hungary had the largest numbers of immigrants) in possession of a first or second class ticket were given cursory examinations shipboard and allowed to enter America with little delay. Steerage - or poorer passengers - were subject to more rigorous examinations and were denied entry if obviously ill. In all, only 2% of all arrivals were sent back to their countries.
Immigration Museum
Immigrants who arrived here (Italy and Austro-Hungary had the largest numbers of immigrants) in possession of a first or second class ticket were given cursory examinations shipboard and allowed to enter America with little delay. Steerage - or poorer passengers - were subject to more rigorous examinations and were denied entry if obviously ill. In all, only 2% of all arrivals were sent back to their countries.
Ellis Island Immigration Museum
Immigrant Museum
Today, Ellis Island is an Immigration Museum and is part of the Statue
of Liberty National Monument. Visitors may enjoy self-guided tours of
the museum, located in the main building, where they can view artifacts,
photographs, prints, videos, interactive displays, oral histories, and
temporary exhibits.
The American Immigrant Wall of Honor exhibits the names of 600,000 men and women who passed through Ellis Island on the way to their new home. Descendants of the immigrants paid $100 each to have their relative's name placed on the wall.
In the Immigration History Center, guests can examine passenger logs
from the hundreds of ships that arrived here between 1892 and 1924.
Volunteers are on-hand to help you locate the records for which you're
searching.
Unfortunately Robin and I were not able to go to Ellis Island; it was closed due to the massive destruction that the last Hurricane has caused. We did get to see it from the boat in the harbor.
The American Immigrant Wall of Honor exhibits the names of 600,000 men and women who passed through Ellis Island on the way to their new home. Descendants of the immigrants paid $100 each to have their relative's name placed on the wall.
Immigrant Wall of Honor
Unfortunately Robin and I were not able to go to Ellis Island; it was closed due to the massive destruction that the last Hurricane has caused. We did get to see it from the boat in the harbor.
No comments:
Post a Comment