Ellis Island Immigration Museum

The Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration is located in the Main Building on Ellis Island – the former immigration station complex.  Located in Upper New York Bay, Ellis Island is originally a part of what used to be known as the Oyster Islands – three islands that were not completely submerged during high tide (the other two are Liberty Island and Black Tom Island).  There was a rich source of oyster banks on these islands which have been a major food source since the original Lenape population until the next three centuries – until landfilling obliterated them.  The island itself was named for Samuel Ellis, who acquired the island sometime in the late 1700’s.

The original island itself was much smaller until it was expanded with land reclamation.  For a time, it also served as a federal arsenal of the War Department, a military post and the location of Fort Gibson, until eventually being turned to a federal immigration station.

It is estimated that some 12 million immigrants entered America through the doors of Ellis Island.  The Main Building as we know it today was constructed only after a fire of unknown origin destroyed the original wooden structures on the island – including all the immigration records dating back to 1855.  The Main Building was designed in the French Renaissance Revival Style by Edward Lippincott Tilton and William A. Boring, who also designed the Kitchen and Laundry Building, the Main Powerhouse, and the Main Hospital Building.  Due to the flood of immigrants, the island was subsequently expanded again with landfill, and additional structures built to accommodate the population. 

After 1924, Ellis Island was used as a detention and deportation station for German merchant mariners and enemy aliens – mostly Axis nationals.  It also served as a processing center for sick or wounded soldiers who were sent home, and as a Coast Guard training base.  Immigration processing continued, though the numbers only picked up again after the war.

The Immigration station closed in November 1954, and the buildings fell into disrepair until it was restored and reopened in 1990.  In 2015, it was officially renamed the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, and features exhibits which tell the story of American immigration, including the Hearing Room, Peak Immigration Years, the Peopling of America, Restoring a Landmark, Silent Voices, Treasures from Home, and the Ellis Island Chronicles.  Audio tours are available, and the structures also include three theaters for films and live performances.

Outside, there is a Wall of Honor which contains a partial list of the immigrants who were processed on the island.  It is estimated that some half of America’s current population can trace their ancestry back to the immigrants who entered America through the doors of Ellis Island.  A visit to this museum can be for many not just a historical New York trip, but also a familial one.