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Ellis Island: Facts about the immigration center and beyond

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  • The Ellis Island we know today is not the Ellis Island of the past -- and by sizable standards too. By the early 1900s, Ellis Island had grown from 3.3 acres of natural land to 27.5 acres. The island was mostly enlarged using landfill from incoming ships' ballast. There are also rumors that excess earth from constructing the subway system was used to expand the island, per the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation.
    Photo Credit: Newsday / Dick Kraus
  • When the Ellis Island immigration station opened on Jan. 1, 1892, the first person to be processed was a teenage girl from Ireland named Annie Moore, per the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation.
    Photo Credit: Newsday / Mayita Mendez
  • The original structure that housed the immigration center was built out of Georgia pine, so when a fire began on June 15, 1897, the entire building was destroyed. No one was injured in the fire, but state and federal records dating back to 1855 were incinerated. A new, fireproof building, pictured, opened on Dec. 17, 1900.
    Photo Credit: Newsday / Handout
  • Part of an immigrant's processing at Ellis Island involved a physical exam conducted by a doctor looking for illnesses. Doctors became so skilled at these brief scans, which took place in the Great Hall, pictured, that it was said they could spot various illnesses and conditions with just a cursory look, according to the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation.
    Photo Credit: Newsday / Ken Sawchuk
  • As immigrant processing at Ellis Island declined in the mid-1920s, the buildings on the island were put to other uses. During World War II, the baggage and dormitory buildings housed enemy merchant seamen who had been detained by the government, according to the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation.
    Photo Credit: Newsday / Ken Sawchuk
  • Ellis Island was made part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson.
    Photo Credit: Newsday / Ken Sawchuk

A new year offers a chance to start over or to make a change, and for 62 years Ellis Island acted as the gateway to a new life filled with hope for more than 12 million immigrants.

Ellis Island’s immigration station opened on New Year’s Day in 1892, but the island’s history stretches even further back.

In commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the Ellis Island immigration station, take a look back at some of the more fascinating facts about this storied piece of New York City.

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