ELLIS ISLAND, An American Tale.... Let me tell you the story.

My wife and I spent many a day in lower Manhattan and along with our trip to the Statue of Liberty we also visited Ellis Island. I also made a visit on my own.

The Statue or Liberty and Ellis Island are two different National Historic Sites. They are on two different islands. and they served two different functions. They both, however, must be visited by boat, the same boats.

SOME FACTS

*The Island it is on once held a harbor defense fort.
*Ellis Island Opened to immigration in 1892.
*Over 12 million people came through Ellis Island.
*Over 100 million of their ancestors now live here. I am one of them, are you?
*The Island was used as an internment center in WWII
*In 1954 Ellis Islands Immigration center closed.
*In 1990 it was reopened as a museum after the Main building was restored.


GETTING THERE

Departures on the Circle Line boats are from New Jerseys Liberty Park and from the southern shore of lower Manhattan at Castle Clinton in Battery Park. This is an old fort that is also National Historic Site itself.

Not all Circle Line boats go to the Statue and Ellis Island.

You will find many subway lines stop nearby Battery Park. The 1,9,4,5,N, and R trains have stops at or near it. It is a short walk to many downtown venues from here.

You can go by car too. Parking is very limited and fairly expensive. If you take this option, try the FRD Drive on the east side. This can get you down town pretty quickly. When you come out of the tunnel, that goes under the castle, look immediately for the PARKING signs. You can try approaching the area from the west side of the island too. Follow West Street all the way down. Do not park on the streets unless you know it is not an illegal spot or a tow away zone! There isn't much free parking downtown. Especially on weekdays.

Taxis are another option getting down town. Getting one going back can sometimes be difficult. Buses run down town too.

TICKETS AND TIMES

The islands are open 365 days a year, on a leap year. Otherwise it's open 364 days a year. The one day it is closed is December 25th, Christmas.

Inside the fort, Castle Clinton, is where tickets are purchased from the private boating company. The charge is $10.00 for adults. You may want to consider getting head phones for an audio tour. They can be rented on the island. The package deal brings it to $16.00. Children and seniors get discounted tickets. Admission is $8.00 Seniors and $4.00 children 12 to 4. National Parks Passes are not necessary as Liberty Island, Ellis Island and all tours are free. You are only paying for the private ferry.

The first boat leaves at 9:30 am. The last leaves the islands about 5pm. Boats leave continuously all day. They do have a schedule posted telling of departure times from Battery Park, The Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. All were pretty much on the half hour and are posted on the boats on the first level, at Battery Park, and at all the waiting areas on the docks.

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY AND ELLIS ISLAND

The fact is that the boarding fee is for both sites. They are two different islands. They are just minutes apart. The first stop is the statue. You do not have to do it in that order however.

SECURITY

I strongly suggest you pack light and have few needless with you. Security is pretty tight. After purchasing your tickets follow your way to the white prefab buildings. They look like domed tents and the material of the walls is canvas.

All passengers must go through security. Everything must come out of your pocket. Bags, jackets go through an x-ray machine.

When I was there last week it was not all that crowded but it still took fifteen minutes to get through.

THE BOAT RIDE

Boarding the boat was quick. A wide ramp gets you to the lower deck of the three deck vessel that has rest rooms and snack bars. The top is open air. This is a prime area on a nice day. Everybody wants to be there so the benches fill up quickly. The middle deck, though inside, still gives a good view. The lower deck has smaller windows. This also has some benches around the perimeter and areas near the entrance/exit designated for handicapped. Most of the bottom deck is standing room only. This is where everyone boards and debarks from.


As you pull out from the pier you will start to get some magnificent sites of lower Manhattan behind you. Most everyone will start jockeying for position for a good picture. Don't bother! Instead take your pictures from Liberty Island or Ellis Island. The views are terrific and unobstructed. Noe heads of someone else in your pictures.

You can also take pictures of Manhattan on the ride back from the islands. Less people are taking pictures then and you are facing the proper direction.

The ride is a total of just under fifteen minutes from the Castle Clinton Dock to the Statue of Liberty dock. Many people get off the boat here. You may choose which ever island you want to visit first. Most people chose the first stop, The Statue of Liberty.

After people are finished departing the boat for the Statue, it goes directly to Ellis Island. This takes about seven minutes.

THE ISLAND

Do take time to look at and study the architecture of this unique building. It was built in a French Renaissance style. Take a picture or two.

This island was used as a fort well before it was used as a staging area for immigrants. On the south east part of the island are some cutout excavations showing some of the footings and walls of Fort Gibson. These were found while excavation was going on the the AMERICAN Immigrant Wall of Honor that is on the south east end of the island overlooking the southern tip of Manhattan. I'll tell you more about the wall later.

On the east side of the island is the outside area of a snack bar/restaurant. They do have some decent food there and the prices are not out of hand. On a nice day this is a good place to have a bite to eat, relax, and take in the beauty of New York Harbor.

There are plenty of tables inside too. Plenty that is on a quiet spring weekday. Week ends, holidays, and the Summer, bring out crowds.

Right next door to the food area is a gift shop loaded with souvenirs and also sells rubbing kits. More on that later too.

ENTERING THE BUILDING

As you enter you will see a large room. In the middle are piles and piles of old time luggage protected under glass. This room is called the Baggage Room. Along the display are phones that can be activated. You will listen to the voice of a person from one of many different countries who actually experienced coming to the US through Ellis Island.
These were very interesting to listen too.

To the left as you entered is a large desk with stanchions in front of it. This is the information desk. There are Park Rangers there answering questions and giving advice.

It's here that you can get tickets for the FREE introduction movies. There are two rooms one on the same floor and one above. The ticket will have the time of the film on it. Be sure to see it as it will give a feel of what the people who traveled through these halls experienced and what Ellis Island is about. The film is named Island of Hope, Island of Tears.

At the desk was a sign for a Ranger led talk. On the hour they would get a group together and depending on the day, the Ranger, and the size of the group will give a half hour tour of one part of the building or another.

Ask about other scheduled tours too.

Also at the desk are tickets sold to a live, three person, twenty minute play. Tickets were $7.00. I thought I would see what it was about. We were ushered into a small room. The stage was no larger that eighteen foot wide. The theatre sat approximately sixty people. We happened to be five that day.

The lights dimmed and I watched the show begin. It started with a young girl of contemporary times looking into an old trunk. She starts talking to a statue that actually talks back. It is the Statue of Liberty. The story goes on as she sees her ancestors and many other people of different heritages coming to America for their own personal reasons. This is all acted out by three people and the show did bring tears to my eyes in the way it depicted the hopes and dreams of those who left everything they had to go to a strange country with just the clothes on there back and very few possessions.

The play ended in song and the five of us in the audience jumped right in. After the show the three came out, asked us of our ancestry and told us of the rooms next door where we could look up any ancestors we may have had come through Ellis Island. I would recommend this simple, yet, very moving play if you have the time and money.


The room next door is called the American Family Immigration History Center. It holds records of the years 1892-1924.


I had recently found the Ellis Island site that gave the immigration information. In it I found my grandfathers name on a manifest of the boat that he came over in in 1899. It gave a bit of information about him. I knew his age from talking to an uncle of mine. That matched. I also learned from the manifest that he could read and write, he was a laborer, was single, came over with twenty dollars, and had a scar on his cheek. The address of where he was going to stay was also on the manifest.

It's amazing that over one hundred years ago my grandfather came here. I also try to think of all the changes in the world since that time. Electricity was just being strung through the US cities, air flight had yet to really take off, the model T Ford was about to be the first assembly line vehicle and so much more!!

Another feature of looking up this information is that I found out the name of the boat he traveled here on from Naples. There is even a picture of the boat. You can have a gift package purchased of the manifest and the picture of the boat. They are very handsome looking. It will be done and finished while you are there.

You may use the computers in the American Family Immigration History Center. I didn't investigate much here as far as whether there is a charge and how do you schedule computer use. All were being used when I was there. It seemed to be about twenty of them. Call ahead!

I had already found printed this information out at home, so I didn't purchase the package. Just go to the Ellis Island Site for records. www.ellisisland.org It's free

Also on this floor are rooms on the northern side that have all different types of graphs and three d charts and displays showing where people came from and when. It was all very interesting.

MORE OF THE BUILDING

Going upstairs to the Great Hall, it is huge. This was used as the Registry Room. The view from above it on the third floor is amazing.

It was through the registry room that every immigrant was processed. They were asked questions and then led toward places where they could get supplies,and transportation to the places they were going. About 2% of all the people who came through this room were denied entry to the US.

It was only the "steerage" passengers that were processed here. First and second class were processed aboard their ships.

On these floors are more displays, personal possessions, films, and video of people telling their tales. The display called "Treasures from Home" have displays of items that were very close to these people traveling so far with so little. The displays tell its own story.

On display are the "dorm" rooms where some immigrants stayed overnight.

If you are interested in the restoration of the building, there is an area on the third floor to get more information.

STEPPING OUTSIDE

Going out on the North side of the building toward lower Manhattan is the AMERICAN IMMIGRANT WALL of HONOR. This covers a large circular area. There is a black wall with over 600 thousand names etched into it.

My grand parents names are on it. Pasquale and Immaculatta Borrillo. My children made rubbings with pencils and paper. Kits can be purchased in the gift shop for this.

If you have relatives that came through Ellis Island, you can have their name added. I don't recall the cost but you can get more information at the Ellis Island Foundation Desk or check out the Ellis Island Site. They also give a very nice hangable certificate. My cousins and I chipped in and had this done for our parents, the sons and daughters of Pasquale and Immaculatta.

That afternoon we took pictures of the wall with my grand parents names, the view of lower Manhattan, and of the family. Just a note to mention that just east of Ellis island is Governor's Island. As of 2003 it is now a Ntional Park Monument. A ferry to it leaves from lower Manhattan. It's a 1/4 mile walk from the Ellis island ferry. I recently visited the island in Seprtember of 2005. It's an interesting place with much history and two forts.


It was my grand parents and 12 million more like them that built that city we see just north of Ellis Island. They helped build our country and I thank them.

Be sure to follow up on more Lower Manhattan reading of many historic sites.

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