Ellis Island
Ellis Island was the gateway through which more than 12 million immigrants passed between 1892 and 1954 in their search for
freedom of speech and religion, and for economic opportunity in the United States.
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
The museum exhibits chronicle Ellis Island s role in immigration history, and view it in the context of its
time and the still broader context of four centuries of immigration to America.
The exhibits also portray and give voice to the immigrants themselves. Each of their stories is unique and bears
witness to the courage and determination that enables men and women to leave their homes and seek new opportunities in an unknown land.
Because of its unique historical importance, it was declared part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965.
After a six-year, $162 million renovation, it reopened to the public as a museum in 1990.
More information
Ferry info :212-269-5755br/>
Ferry departs from South Ferry, at Battery Park. Seven days.
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Ellis Island