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The Statue of Liberty Explorer

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Ellis Island immigration tour

1 · Arrival

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  1. Welcome to Ellis Island. Between 1892 and 1954, about twelve million immigrants passed through this island on their way into the United States. Today the main building is the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, and entry is included with your ferry ticket. Imagine arriving here by boat after weeks at sea, with everything you own in a bag.

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  2. The first federal immigration station here opened on New Year's Day, 1892. The very first immigrant registered was Annie Moore, a seventeen-year-old girl from Cork, Ireland. That first wooden station burned down in 1897, and the building you see today opened in December 1900.

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  3. Inside the museum

    Immigrants entered on the first floor, in the Baggage Room. Many had to leave their belongings here before going upstairs to be inspected, carrying hope and worry in equal measure.

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  4. Inside the museum

    Upstairs is the Registry Room, two hundred feet long and one hundred feet wide, with a ceiling fifty-six feet high. This is where people waited to be inspected. The beautiful vaulted ceiling of Guastavino tiles was installed by 1918, after the 1916 Black Tom explosion damaged the roof.

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  5. Inside the museum

    Every arrival faced two checks: a medical inspection by doctors of the Public Health Service, and a legal inspection by immigration officers. Only about one percent were sent back.

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  6. Inside the museum

    Over time, the rules changed. A 1917 law introduced a literacy test. After the Immigration Act of 1924 set strict quotas, far fewer people came through here, and the island was used more and more for detention and deportation. Ellis Island closed on 12 November 1954.

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  7. Inside the museum

    The main building reopened as a museum on 10 September 1990. Outside, the Wall of Honor lists the names of immigrants submitted by their families. Visitors can also look for their own family's story here.

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  8. Take a last look back at the Registry Room before you leave. Millions of American families began right here. When you're ready, head back to the ferry. Thanks for walking in their footsteps with VoyGlobe.

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