Visit Ellis Island And Lady Liberty

This includes details on funding the statue, the trickiness of sending her overseas, and even how various citizens—themselves immigrants, working class, even poor—helped fund the completion of the statue.

Another brief ferry ride then carries visitors to the second element of the tour: Ellis Island. The nicknamed “Island of Hope, Island of Tears” passed 12 million immigrants through its halls between 1892 and 1954. It is common for visitors with immigrant histories to walk the halls of the Ellis Island Museum and seek out family names and dates of arrival. This is one of the most exciting elements for many. For those who do not have immigration history logged in Ellis Island, there is still much to explore. This beautiful island museum was given a fresh face in the 1980s to better preserve and capture the experiences of hopeful U.S. citizens. The museum’s three floors unveil a complicated and emotional history of individuals and families hoping for a better life.

The museum’s first floor features a walkthrough of the reality of immigration to the United States and reasons why various groups found themselves here. This exhibit does not shy away from discussing complicated topics such as slavery or indentured servitude, but also acknowledges many of the hopes and dreams of immigrants to the United States prior to the opening of Ellis Island. A smaller exhibit to the side also explores immigration from 1945 to today, and what the process looks like for modern citizen applicants.

Mounting the stairs to floor two, visitors enter the registration room: a grand hall which truly captures the momentous occasion upon which many immigrants entered. This room allows visitors to experience what immigrants coming to the United States would have felt while they awaited clearance to enter the country. Two sets of museum exhibits on this floor break down the immigration process: health screening, education and wellness tests, as well as reasons why an individual or group might be turned away and sent back to their countries of origin. These are touching displays which help demonstrate the challenges faced by immigrants in the early-to-mid 20th century, as well as the reality of how Ellis Island was able to operate such a large and successful facility for so many years.

For those who have taken this tour before, recent restorations to both islands have vastly improved and eased the experience and might make another trip worth your while. For those who have never been, this editor can only encourage an expedition to two momentous staples of United States history which, while perhaps not as flashy as other destinations, offer a soulful and enlightening tale of the American dream and what it meant to so many. This tour is certainly a must do, and Spring is the perfect time to embark.