Ellis Island is a historical site located in New York Harbor, adjacent to the New Jersey coast and the Statue of Liberty.It is one of the three islands near New Jersey. Ellis Island has been an American immigration center, a fort and a place of interest in recent times.During the revolutionary war in 1775, the island was acquired by a merchant named Samuel Ellis and, therefore, came to be known as Ellis Island. The island was ceded to the United States federal government and was used as an immigration station for Europeans coming into the US for a new life.Ellis Island was originally 3.2 acres (1.3 ha) and was expanded by the federal government through land reclamation. In 1960, this small island had grown to 27.4 acres (11.1 ha). The island has had many nicknames over the years, such as Gibbet Island, Gull Island, Gilbert Island, and Oyster Island.Early immigration to the US was from Western Europe, but more immigrants from Eastern Europe started arriving at Ellis Island. These immigrants were escaping from World War II and other political turmoil. Between 1892-1924, over 12 million immigrants escaping from Germany and western Europe settled on the island. About 100 million descendants live on Ellis Island and in New York City.The first immigrant to set foot on the island was Annie Moore, a 15-year-old girl from County Cork, Ireland. Annie Moore was accompanied by her two siblings and had come to join her parents, who were already in the United States. There is a statue of the first immigrant, Annie Moore, on the island.Over the years, millions of other immigrants have landed on Ellis Island, and approximately 1.5 million immigrants are said to have been processed in the wooden building of the immigration station. This station on Ellis Island opened in January 1892 and was the busiest in 1907, when a million immigrants were processed. Among the many European immigrants to be processed at Ellis Island, there were a few famous immigrants, such as comedian Bob Hope.In 1897, the first Ellis Island immigration center caught fire, and the immigration records of many immigrants were destroyed. It was also rumored that many children and adults died in the fire. But later, it was found that no immigrants were harmed. Later that year, a new Ellis Island Immigration Station was built with fireproof red brick and limestone trim. On December 17, 1900, Ellis Island reopened. The US National Park Service now administers the island and the Statue of Liberty.With the Immigration Act of 1924, there was a change in the immigration process, and the number of immigrants allowed into the United States started declining. The difference in the immigration process meant that the immigrants had to go through strict medical and primary inspections. Immigrants who did not pass the process were detained. For these immigrants, the place came to be known as ‘Heartbreak Island’. Today, more than 10 million immigrants arrive on Ellis Island every year.Once you have finished reading this article, why not discover the answers to the Jeju Island South Korea and Battle of Long Island facts here on Kidadl?Precolonial And Colonial Use Of Ellis IslandEllis Island was discovered 15,000 years ago at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation. It was a glacier bank in the upper New York Bay. A native Mohegan named it ‘Kioshk’, which means ‘Gull Island’. It was brackish, marshy lowlands that were later submerged by water. Native American tribes used the land to fish and hunt oysters and built temporary fishing communities on the island. Thus, the island was also called ‘Little Oyster Island’. In 1674, the island was first sold to Captain William Dyre, and later to Thomas Lloyd in 1686. The island’s ownership has changed many times over the years.In the Colonial Era, Ellis Island was a popular place to visit. People came here with family and friends for picnics, oyster roasts, and more as the island was rich in oysters. In 1760, the island was named ‘Gibbet Island’ after the tree from which pirates were hung. By 1774, Ellis Island was acquired by a merchant and a colonial New Yorker named Samuel Ellis, and came to be known as Ellis Island. After he died in 1794, the island’s ownership passed to his son, Junior Samuel. However, Junior Samuel died a few years after his birth, and the ownership passed to the two daughters of Samuel Ellis, Elizabeth Ryerson and Rachel Cooder. Earlier Military Use Of Ellis IslandIn the 1800s, New York State acquired the island for $10,000 from Ellis’s daughter. It was then used for public defense. Ellis Island was used by the state for military purposes for almost 80 years.When military tensions between the US, France, and Britain increased in the mid-1790s, the US Congressional committee drew up a plan on how to protect important American urban areas like New York harbor. On the map of the First System of Fortifications, a small part of Ellis Island was deeded to the city. The following year, the construction of Castle Garden (Castle Clinton) began. In the same year, the Manhattan Battery was also built. During the Civil War, the island was used to collect war ammunition. The preparation for war began on Ellis Island, New York, with the construction of batteries and magazines. Also, in the northeastern corner of the island, an inlet was dug, which doubled its size.In the late 1790s, there was a rumored possibility of war with France. The military began to prepare for war under the supervision of Ebenezer Stevens. However, the war was averted, and Castle Clinton became rundown.Fort Gibson: Ellis IslandStevens noted that most of Ellis Island was still owned by the Ellis family and suggested that it be sold to the government. Hence, in 1808, the remaining part of Ellis Island was acquired by the Federal Government by Samuel Ellis’s grandson.The deed was signed and ceded for $10,000. In the 1800s, Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Williams was in charge of New York Harbor defenses. He proposed many ideas for the construction and fortification of the second system of fortification. These included a mortar battery, increased firepower, and many others. A fort was established with a circular stone 14-gun battery by the War Department of the Federal Government. This was called Crown Fort. In 1812, the fort was renamed ‘Gibson Fort’ in honor of Colonel James Gibson of the Fourth Regiment of Riflemen, who was killed at the siege of Fort Erie.After the second American War of Independence in 1812, the fort became a recruiting center. The fort was jointly administered by the US army and navy in the mid-1830s. However, the joint administration didn’t work for long, and the US army took over the fort in 1841 and downgraded it to an artillery cell. Till 1860, the fort was maintained by the army.By the end of the civil war, the fort had deteriorated to such an extent that the artillery could not be used.Tourism In Ellis Island Ellis Island is currently administered by the US National Park Service, which also manages the Statue of Liberty. Tourists can visit the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, which was the main building of the earlier Immigration Center. This building is constructed from Georgia pine. Ellis Island is now a crowded place with many facilities, including a power station, Ellis Island Hospital, gift shops, a café, great halls, and more.The Ellis Island Immigration Museum replaced the American Museum of Immigration on Liberty Island. It was opened in 1990 and is located on the north side of the island. The museum has three floors of exhibits, which include a kitchen, laundry and baggage room, a registry room, a hearing room, a dormitory room, and a barge office. The Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration showcases the experiences of immigrants. It has a large and interesting collection of documents, personal objects, photographs, maps, videos, and more.The Wall of Honor outside the main building is inscribed with the names of 775,000 immigrants, slaves, and Native Americans who were not processed on the island. This inscription is on 770 panels. The wall was built in the late ‘1980s and was a way to cover the cost of the renovation of Ellis Island. First, only 75,000 names were inscribed on a copper panel. The inscription was later increased.On the south side of Ellis Island is the Ellis Island Immigration Hospital, which was built in the 1900s. This is still unrenovated and abandoned.On the western side of the island is the Ferry Building. This is made of a steel and concrete frame with red brick in Flemish bond, and limestone, and is ornamented with terracotta.Tourists can enjoy the ferry ride to the Statue of Liberty, run by State Park Cruises. Tickets can be purchased online or through the Statue Cruise ticket booth in Castle Clinton. Tickets are also available at the Statue of Liberty departure point. You can board a ferry from Liberty State Park in Jersey City and the Battery in Lower Manhattan.Ellis Island was the first Federal Immigration Station in the United States. It is the place where the first immigrant arrived, seeking a better life. It highlights the role that immigrants played in shaping American history.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Ellis island facts for kids then why not take a look at Wizard Island facts or Rhode Island colony facts.
Ellis Island is a historical site located in New York Harbor, adjacent to the New Jersey coast and the Statue of Liberty.
