October 15, 2018

From 1892 to 1924, over 12 million immigrants entered the United States through Ellis Island, a reception center in New York Harbor. Many Americans today can trace their family roots to Ellis Island, where people disembarked from ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Immigrants began the sometimes difficult process of becoming American citizens at Ellis Island, which sits a short distance from Liberty Island, the home of the Statue of Liberty.

Millions of European immigrants streamed into the United States during the 1800′s and early 1900′s. The newcomers shown here landed at Ellis Island in New York Harbor in 1907. Credit: © Burt G. Phillips, Museum of the City of New York/Getty Images

Ellis Island is named for Samuel Ellis, a merchant and farmer who owned it during the late 1700′s. The U.S. government bought the island in 1808 and began using it as an immigration station in 1892. About 35 buildings were constructed on the island. Newcomers were taken to the main building, an impressive two-story wooden structure. That building burned down in 1897 and was replaced by a three-story brick building. The immigrants were questioned by government officials and examined by doctors. Certain people were prohibited by federal law from immigrating to the United States. They included criminals, the insane, and people who had infectious diseases. But about 98 percent of those examined at Ellis Island were allowed into the country.

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This map shows the location of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in Upper New York Bay. The monument includes the statue on Liberty Island and the Ellis Island immigration station. Liberty Island is officially under the jurisdiction of New York. Most of Ellis Island is under New Jersey’s jurisdiction. Credit: WORLD BOOK map

The island’s large-scale use as an immigration station ended in 1924. The station closed completely in 1954. In 1965, the island became a national historic site, part of the existing Statue of Liberty National Monument. The site is managed and operated by the federal government’s National Park Service.

The National Park Service began major repairs of the island’s buildings in the 1980′s. The island was reopened to the public in 1990. The main building was completely restored and is now the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. The museum’s exhibits include old photographs, clothing, toys, and passports of immigrants. Visitors can listen to recordings of immigrants sharing their memories of Ellis Island. Several rooms, including the Registry Room or Great Hall (main reception area), now appear as they did between 1918 and 1924, the island’s busiest years as an immigration station. The American Immigrant Wall of Honor, created in 1990, stands outside the museum. The names of hundreds of thousands of immigrants are engraved on this wall in honor of all immigrants.

A number of famous people began their new American lives at Ellis Island, including composer Irving Berlin (he came with his family from Russia in 1893), football coach Knute Rockne (from Norway, in 1893), film directors Frank Capra (from Italy, in 1903) and Elia Kazan (from Turkey, in 1913), and entertainer Bob Hope (from England, in 1908).