Ellis Island is the closest thing America has to a national origin story made physical. Between 1892 and 1954, over 12 million immigrants passed through its inspection halls, and today walking through those halls feels like walking through your own family history — even if your ancestors came through a different port.
History
Ellis Island was named after Samuel Ellis, a colonial merchant who owned the island in the 1770s. The federal government purchased the island in 1808 and used it as a military fort and ammunition depot. The first immigration station opened in 1892 on what is now the Main Building, but a fire destroyed the wooden structures in 1897. The current Main Building, designed in the French Renaissance Revival style, opened in 1900. The island expanded through landfill during construction of the New York City subway system, growing from 3.3 acres to 27.5 acres. At its peak in 1907, over one million immigrants were processed here — 11,747 in a single day. After immigration quotas in the 1920s reduced traffic, the station was used for detention and deportation before closing in 1954. The island was abandoned for over two decades before being restored and opened as a museum in 1990.
Features and Highlights
- The Great Hall — the two-story registry room where immigrants waited for their legal and medical inspections
- The American Family Immigration History Center — searchable database of over 65 million passenger records from 1820 to 1957
- The “Through America’s Gate” exhibition — the step-by-step process showing the medical and legal inspections immigrants faced
- The baggage room and railroad ticket office where immigrants arranged onward travel
- The oral history collection — over 2,000 recorded interviews with immigrants who passed through Ellis Island
- The Wall of Honor — an outdoor walkway with over 700,000 names of immigrants and their families inscribed on panels
- The restored dormitory buildings on the south side showing the living conditions for detained immigrants
Visitor Tips
Tickets sell out well in advance — book online at least a week ahead. The ferry includes both Liberty Island and Ellis Island, so plan for a full day. The audio tour is narrated by actors and former immigrants and is excellent. Use the Family History Center to look up your own ancestors’ arrival records — it’s free with admission. The restaurant in the main building serves decent food but expect higher prices. The best time to visit is early spring or fall when crowds are smaller. The Statue of Liberty ferry is the only way to reach the island.
Cultural Impact
Ellis Island represents the immigrant experience for over 100 million living Americans — roughly 40% of the country’s population can trace at least one ancestor who passed through these halls. The restoration of the island in the 1980s, funded by a public-private partnership, set the standard for heritage preservation in the United States. The island has been the subject of countless books, documentaries, and the film The Godfather Part II. For visitors who have taken the Statue of Liberty ferry, Ellis Island is the natural second stop — both islands tell the story of America as a nation of immigrants. The journey here from Manhattan, New York City‘s Battery Park connects to the Empire State Building – New York City view on the skyline, tying the past to New York’s vertical present.
Location and Contact
- Address: Ellis Island, Jersey City, NJ 07305 (accessible by ferry from NYC)
- Coordinates: 40.6995° N, 74.0397° W
- Museum Hours: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM daily (ferry schedule varies)
- Official Site: Visit Ellis Island
- Wikipedia: Ellis Island on Wikipedia
CONTACT US
For more information or to visit us, here are our branch addresses:
- Branch 1: Naungayan Building, Aala Road, Barangay Mankilam, Tagum City, Davao Del Norte
- Branch 2: Sobrecary Street (In front of Velox Gas Station), Tagum City, Davao Del Norte
- Email: gracezelguerra22@gmail.com
- Phone: 09460480491
- Business Hours: Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (PH Time)
- Facebook Page: Visit our Facebook Page