Island in New York Harbor that was the busiest immigrant inspection station in the United States and is now a national museum of immigration

Overview

Ellis Island is a federally-owned island in New York Harbor that was the busiest immigrant inspection station in the United States. From 1892 to 1924, nearly 12 million immigrants arriving at the Port of New York and New Jersey were processed there under federal law. Today, it is part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and is accessible to the public only by ferry. The north side of the island is the site of the main building, now a national museum of immigration. The south side of the island, including the Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital, is open to the public only through guided tours.

In the 19th century, Ellis Island was the site of Fort Gibson and later became a naval magazine. The first inspection station opened in 1892 and was destroyed by fire in 1897. The second station opened in 1900 and housed facilities for medical quarantines and processing immigrants. After 1924, Ellis Island was used primarily as a detention center for migrants. During both World War I and World War II, its facilities were also used by the US military to detain prisoners-of-war. After the immigration station's closure, the buildings languished for several years until they were partially reopened in 1976. The main building and adjacent structures were completely renovated in 1990.

Ellis Island is in Upper New York Bay, east of Liberty State Park and north of Liberty Island. While most of the island is in Jersey City, New Jersey, a small section is an exclave of New York City.

Public access

Two ferry slips are located on the northern side of the basin that bisects Ellis Island. No charge is made for entrance to the Statue of Liberty National Monument, but there is a cost for the ferry service that all visitors must use. The ferries travel from Liberty State Park in Jersey City and the Battery in Lower Manhattan. The NPS also offers guided public tours of the south side as part of the "Hard Hat Tour".

Museum and Wall of Honor

The Ellis Island Immigration Museum opened on September 10, 1990, replacing the American Museum of Immigration on Liberty Island, which closed in 1991. The museum contains several exhibits across three floors of the main building, with a first-floor expansion into the kitchen-laundry building.The first floor houses the main lobby within the baggage room, the Family Immigration History Center, Peopling of America, and New Eras of Immigration. The second floor includes the registry room, the hearing room, Through America's Gate, and Peak Immigration Years. The third floor contains a dormitory room, Restoring a Landmark, Silent Voices, Treasures from Home, and Ellis Island Chronicles, as well as rotating exhibits. There are also three theaters used for film and live performances. The third floor contains a library, reading room, and "oral history center", while the theaters are located on the first and second floors. There are auditoriums on all floors. On the ground floor is a gift shop and bookstore, as well as a booth for audio tours.

Wall of Honor

The Wall of Honor outside of the main building contains a list of 775,000 names inscribed on 770 panels, including slaves, Native Americans, and immigrants that were not processed on the island. The Wall of Honor originated in the late 1980s as a means to pay for Ellis Island's renovation, and initially included 75,000 names. The wall originally opened in 1990 and consisted of copper panels.