Liberty and Ellis Islands: 28th Sept

Liberty Park is where we walked on our first evening, and is so called because it overlooks Liberty Island and the Statue of. Conveniently for us, the boat for Liberty Island leaves from Liberty Park and takes only 15 minutes. Here we are below, nearing landing.

The ticket includes entry into the statue, the base of which is full of exhibits and history of the project. It was a gift from France to the United States, dedicated in 1886. Close-up, the statue is huge and a great feat of design and engineering that involved the skills of Gustav Eiffel, of Eiffel Tower fame. It is made of copper so needs elaborate support and strengthening. An exact replica of Liberty’s face, next photo, about 10 feet tall, is shown in the exhibition hall.

In every party of tourists who snapped the face, one of the group posed with his/her fingers or hands shoved up Liberty’s nose. It’s a shame that the nose couldn’t be electronically programmed to sneeze just as the photoflash went off. The strong face is supposed to be that of the statue designer Bertholdi’s mother.

It had a major refurb in 1966 due to corrosion and many bits were replaced with more durable modern parts. This is the original torch, obviously replaced by one with longer-life batteries

The boat calls at Ellis Island on the way back. Ellis Island was the check-in point for most immigrants to the US between 1892 and 1924 when the open door policy changed. Steerage passengers only, the poorest but most numerous, were processed here: first and second class were dealt with at other venues in New York. 12 million immigrants were landed on the island between these dates, and each one was vetted for health, financial and political suitability before being permitted to enter. About 2% were rejected and repatriated.

This is the building through which all hopefuls needed to pass, viewed from the landing stage.

The registration hall was on the first floor with the officials’ desks at the far end. The old photo next is of this same hall in working order.

The building is full of memorabilia and photos showing the vast spectrum of prospective settlers from all corners the globe and revealing the desperate poverty many sought to escape from. There was some light relief, however, as in the plaque below:

It is said that 40% of Americans can trace at least one ancestor from their immigration acceptance at Ellis Island, so the facility is an important part of US history, and presumably that is why it has been so well restored. It also houses the immigration records that can be accessed on site or by internet.