Ellis Island

Ellis Island. . , Ellis Island acted as an immigration station for the United States from 1892 to 1954. The 13.7 acre island is made up almost entirely of landfill, with the original island measuring only 3.3 acres. Prior to its expansion and its use as an immigration station, the island was known primarily for its oyster beds. In the 19th century, Ellis Island formed part of a harbor fortification system which included Castle Clinton at the Battery in Manhattan, Castle Williams on Governors Island and Fort Wood on Liberty Island., In 1890, a wood frame structure was erected on Ellis Island to serve as an immigration processing station. At the turn of the century, a fire razed this structure, and it was replaced by the Main Building, which you can see now. As immigration numbers ballooned, hospital buildings, dormitories, contagious disease wards and kitchens were constructed on the island between 1900 and 1915. Until the 1950s, more than 12 million immigrants flowed through this port of entry to make new lives in the United States., Incoming immigrants traveling in first and second class passed into the country without comprehensive inspection; however, those passengers in steerage entered the Ellis Island facility for a full medical and legal inspection. If the immigrant’s papers were in order and they were in reasonably good health, the Ellis Island inspection process lasted approximately three to five hours. Immigrants were excluded if a doctor diagnosed a contagious disease that would endanger public health, or if a legal inspector thought the immigrant was likely to be a burden on social services, become a criminal of an illegal contract laborer. During World War I, immigration policy began to change, and by the 1920s, the facility was used primarily as a detention center. It continued in this role through World War II until its closure in 1954., In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson declared Ellis Island part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument. Ellis Island was opened to the public in 1976 and nearly a decade later underwent a $160 million restoration. The Main Building was reopened to the public in 1990 as the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. Today the museum receives almost 2 million visitors annually.