Ellis Island
Approx. Time: 2 hoursActivity Level: Easy to Moderate
Ellis Island was incorporated as part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument on May 11, 1965. Between 1892 and 1954, approximately 12 million steerage and third class steamship passengers who entered the United States through the port of New York were legally and medically inspected at Ellis Island. Reopened on September 10, 1990 after a massive restoration, the Main Building on Ellis Island is now a museum dedicated to the history of immigration and the important role this island claimed during the mass migration of humanity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Museum holdings include: ephemera and contemporary art reflecting public attitudes toward the statue and immigrants; clothing, religious artifacts, and personal belongings of the immigrants who passed through Ellis Island; original furnishings and equipment from the immigration station buildings; original components and working models of the statue. Archival materials include photographs, passports, the papers of US Immigration Department employees and oral histories of individuals who came through Ellis Island. The archeological collection includes artifacts from prehistoric inhabitants of the island.
Designations:
Immigration Museum - Sept. 10, 1990
National Monument - May 11, 1965
Immigration Station - January 1, 1892
