ELLIS ISLAND

Ellis Island
From 1892 to 1924, over 12 million immigrants entered through Ellis Island. Ellis Island was one of Americas largest immigrations station. Immigrants came from Western Europe, Eastern Europe and eventually Asia, etc. Before Ellis Island was an immigration station it belonged to Samuel Ellis. Upon purchase Samuel Ellis built a tavern on the island for local fisherman. In 1794, Ellis died and the land remained until 1808. In 1808 New York State bought the land from the Ellis family and used the island for military purposes. In 1812 the Island was used as a munitions arsenal for the union army during the civil war. After the Civil War, Ellis Island remained vacant. The government soon decided to replace the New York immigration station at Castle Garden, which was located at the Battery in Manhattan. Many northern and western Europeans entered through Castle Garden. The immigration station remained open from 1855 to 1890. During the time of construction on Ellis Island the federal government took control of immigration and the islands size doubled. On January 1, 1892, the first Ellis Island station was opened. Three large ships arrived on the first day holding 700 immigrants. Within one year nearly 450,000 people arrived at Ellis Island. On June 15, 1897, a fire broke out in one of the main buildings causing the roof to collapse. 200 immigrants were on the island during the fire, although there were no known deaths, the fire burned all the immigration records dating back from 1840 and the Castle Garden era. The immigrant station on Ellis Island was reconstructed after the fire in 1900 costing $1.5 million. The station was reopened in December. Two additional new islands were later created. Island Two housed the hospital administration and contagious diseases ward, while Island Three held the psychiatric ward (Davis, 1990).

ELLIS ISLAND In 1903 William Williams was commissioned to Ellis Island, his first order for the

employees were to treat the immigrants with kindness and decency or face dismissal (Guzda, 1986). Many immigrants believed that coming to the United States life was going to be easier. When Edward Steiner visited Ellis island in 1905, He witnessed an appalling sight and stated "Let no one believe that landing on the shores of "The land of the free, and the home of the brave" is a pleasant experience; it is a hard, harsh fact, surrounded by the grinding machinery of the law which sifts, picks, and chooses; admitting the fit and excluding the weak and helpless"(Steiner, 1906). In 1907, a federal law was passed excluding persons with physical and mental disabilities, as well as children arriving without adults. Upon entering the examination of the Public Health Service, the immigrants were guided by an attendant into the different inspection lines. Men, woman, and children were segregated by sex, stood in lines on Ellis Island awaiting questions on their potential destinations, intentions for going there, and job prospects upon arrival (Davis & Universal, 1900). Four medical officers who carry on the general inspection were stationed each in one of the four lines, and two medical officers stood at the extreme ends of two of the lines. Each newcomer's hands, eyes, throat, and scalp inspected by a uniformed physician at the head of the line. Each immigrants eyelid was averted to check for trachoma, a contagious eye disease that could lead to blindness. The scalp was probed for lice or scabssymptoms. Leprosy, schistosomiasis, syphilis, and gonorrhea are other examples of "loathsome or dangerous" contagious diseases that could deny an immigrant entry into the country (Parascandola, 1998) The doctors chalked the results onto the immigrants shirt or jacket: for example, "K" for hernia, "G" for goiter, "X" for mental deficiency.

ELLIS ISLAND Those suspected of having a mental disease were taken for further evaluation. The

psychologists used puzzle and mimicry tests since the tests neither had to be explained through an interpreter nor require the immigrants to read or write. The immigrants were evaluated by comparing the time they took to complete the test with the time mentally healthy person took to complete it. The immigration officers asked the immigrants the same questions that they were asked upon departure. The initial responses were recorded on the ships manifest, and the officers would use this to verify the immigrants responses. The entire process took between three to five hours per immigrant (Parascandola, 1998). If the immigrants failed the medical screening, they would be sent to the Ellis Island Hospital where they can be nursed to good health. If they failed the legal screening, they would be detained in a dormitory until they can provide proof that they are legally fit to enter the country. The buildings on Ellis Island began to fall into neglect and abandonment. America started experiencing the end of mass immigration. By 1932, the Great Depression had taken hold in the U.S., and for the first time more immigrants left the country than arrived. By 1949, the U.S. Coast Guard took over most of Ellis Island, using it for office and storage space. In November 1954 Ellis Island closed its doors. In 1965, Proclamation 3665 was issued by President Johnson stating that Ellis Island fell under jurisdiction of the Nation Park Service as part of the Statue of Liberty. Ellis Island opened to the public in 1976, featuring hour-long guided tours of the Main Building. During this year, more than 50,000 people visit the island. In 1982, a foundation was held by Lee Iacocca to raise funds for the restoration of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. In 1984, Restorations began on the island and by 1990 the island was reopened to the public. The

ELLIS ISLAND

main building houses the new Ellis Island Immigration Museum, in which many of the rooms have been restored to the way they appeared during the island's peak years. Since 1990, some 30 million visitors have visited Ellis Island to trace the steps of their ancestors. Forty percent of all living Americans can trace their lineage back to the more than 12 million immigrants who passed through the processing center at Ellis Island in New York Harbor from 1892 to 1954 (Patton, 2001). The records include the original manifests, given to passengers onboard ships and showing names and other information, as well as information about the history and background of the ships that arrived in New York Harbor.

ELLIS ISLAND References

Davis, L. J., & Universal, P. S. (1990, Sep 02). Ellis island/ AN AMERICAN TALE. Colorado Springs Gazette - Telegraph. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/ 268015661?accountid=2807. Guzda, H. P. (1986). Ellis Island a welcome site? Only after years of reform. Monthly Labor Review, 109(7), 30. Iacocca makes appeal for ellis island funds. (1985, Jun 27). New York Times (1923-Current File). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/111107840?accountid=28076. Parascandola, J. (1998). Doctors at the gate. Public Health Reports, 113(1), 83-6. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/230150794?accountid=28076 Patton, A. (2001). NEW GENEALOGICAL TOOL AT ELLIS ISLAND. American History, 36 (2), 14. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE %7CA73409874&v=2.1&u=nysl_li_molloy&it=r&p=PPUS&sw=w.