![Note: this photo was published as an illustration in an undated (Apr 2010) Squidoo blog titled "Statue of Liberty Info, Pictures, and Wallpapers ( http://www.squidoo.com/statueoflibertyinfo ) ." I should also mention that it was a handheld, 3-image HDR composition...
It was also published in an undated (mid-Mar 2011) Buy This Travel blog ( http://www.buythistravel.com/who-knew-youd-see-tulips-and-the-statue-of-liberty-in-the-same-picture.htm ) , with the same caption that I used on this Flickr page.
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Approximately one third of all Americans can trace their ancestry back to a relative who entered the country by passing through Ellis Island. Thus, it's not surprising that a much larger percentage of Americans and other people around the world have the simplistic notion that everyone got here via Ellis Island. People tend to forget that there were quite a few people here before the first Pilgrim landed on Mayflower Rock in 1620, or that people immigrated into the U.S. via Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, and a whole lot of other places (including, of course, such West Coast cities as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle in modern times).
But it turns out that even in the New York area, Ellis Island was not the first first official immigration center. Instead, it was Battery Park, at the southern tip of Manhattan Island, where today one travels in order to catch the Staten Island Ferry, and the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. In its early 16th-century days, it served as a protection (i.e., "battery") to the small town of New York; and it was the center of Evacuation Day ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evacuation_Day_(New_York) ) celebrations commemorating the departure of the last British troops in 1783, after the Revolutionary War ended. After that, the area became a promenade, a beer garden, and one of the premier theatrical venues in the United States.
In 1855, some 40 years before the opening of Ellis Island, Battery Park became the world's first immigration depot, processing roughly 8 million immigrants who were driven here by the Irish Famine and various other political and religious persecutions in Europe. Its duty as an immigration center was eventually replaced by Ellis Island, a 32-acre site which processed 12 million immigrants between 1892 and 1954. On its busiest day (April 17, 1907), Ellis Island received 11,747 immigrants; its facilities were so large that its dining room could seat 1,000 people.
Well, that was then, and this is now. After Ellis Island was closed in November 1954, it gradually fell into disrepair; but it was eventually renovated, restored, and reopened in September 1990. That was nearly 20 years ago, but I must confess that I have never managed to set aside the time, muster the energy, and make the ferry trip over to see it. When I finally did so a few days ago, I found the restored "immigration museum" to be interesting, but somewhat overwhelmed with tourists and visitors (and the busy summer season has not yet even arrived) ... and essentially non-photogenic. I had hoped we might be able to see some of the original dormitories and other buildings -- but they were either closed off, shut down, or restored to a shiny new "faux" look.
On the other hand, the ferry ride past the Statue of Liberty was a more photogenic experience; and the people and activities in Battery Park itself were quite interesting indeed. So the photographs you'll see here are mostly of Battery Park, a few of the Statue of Liberty, and only one offshore view of some restored buildings on Ellis Island. If you want to see the details of what those 12 million arriving immigrants saw, you'll have to go there yourself...](/Landscapes/NYC-HDR/i-DnjZvfP/0/Ti/Who%20knew%20you%27d%20see%20tulips%20and%20the%20Statue%20of%20Liberty_4547555605_o-Ti.jpg "Note: this photo was published as an illustration in an undated (Apr 2010) Squidoo blog titled "Statue of Liberty Info, Pictures, and Wallpapers ( http://www.squidoo.com/statueoflibertyinfo ) ." I should also mention that it was a handheld, 3-image HDR composition...
It was also published in an undated (mid-Mar 2011) Buy This Travel blog ( http://www.buythistravel.com/who-knew-youd-see-tulips-and-the-statue-of-liberty-in-the-same-picture.htm ) , with the same caption that I used on this Flickr page.
********************************************************
Approximately one third of all Americans can trace their ancestry back to a relative who entered the country by passing through Ellis Island. Thus, it's not surprising that a much larger percentage of Americans and other people around the world have the simplistic notion that everyone got here via Ellis Island. People tend to forget that there were quite a few people here before the first Pilgrim landed on Mayflower Rock in 1620, or that people immigrated into the U.S. via Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, and a whole lot of other places (including, of course, such West Coast cities as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle in modern times).
But it turns out that even in the New York area, Ellis Island was not the first first official immigration center. Instead, it was Battery Park, at the southern tip of Manhattan Island, where today one travels in order to catch the Staten Island Ferry, and the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. In its early 16th-century days, it served as a protection (i.e., "battery") to the small town of New York; and it was the center of Evacuation Day ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evacuation_Day_(New_York) ) celebrations commemorating the departure of the last British troops in 1783, after the Revolutionary War ended. After that, the area became a promenade, a beer garden, and one of the premier theatrical venues in the United States.
In 1855, some 40 years before the opening of Ellis Island, Battery Park became the world's first immigration depot, processing roughly 8 million immigrants who were driven here by the Irish Famine and various other political and religious persecutions in Europe. Its duty as an immigration center was eventually replaced by Ellis Island, a 32-acre site which processed 12 million immigrants between 1892 and 1954. On its busiest day (April 17, 1907), Ellis Island received 11,747 immigrants; its facilities were so large that its dining room could seat 1,000 people.
Well, that was then, and this is now. After Ellis Island was closed in November 1954, it gradually fell into disrepair; but it was eventually renovated, restored, and reopened in September 1990. That was nearly 20 years ago, but I must confess that I have never managed to set aside the time, muster the energy, and make the ferry trip over to see it. When I finally did so a few days ago, I found the restored "immigration museum" to be interesting, but somewhat overwhelmed with tourists and visitors (and the busy summer season has not yet even arrived) ... and essentially non-photogenic. I had hoped we might be able to see some of the original dormitories and other buildings -- but they were either closed off, shut down, or restored to a shiny new "faux" look.
On the other hand, the ferry ride past the Statue of Liberty was a more photogenic experience; and the people and activities in Battery Park itself were quite interesting indeed. So the photographs you'll see here are mostly of Battery Park, a few of the Statue of Liberty, and only one offshore view of some restored buildings on Ellis Island. If you want to see the details of what those 12 million arriving immigrants saw, you'll have to go there yourself...")
Congratulations to our St Leo Future City Team Members! 2 of our teams came back with awards from this year's competition.
Congratulations to our St Leo Future City Team Members! 2 of our teams came back with awards from this year's competition.
See photo in original gallery.