The American Dream: Freedom and Immigration at The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
Statue of Liberty Tour
Beginning in Battery Park, we’ll visit Castle Clinton, the first immigration processing station, in use from 1855 to 1890. Initially built to protect New York during the War of 1812, the fort was never actually used for this purpose, was re-named Castle Garden, and was subsequently converted turned into a theater.
The Statue of Liberty
Jump on the ferry and make our next stop at Liberty Island, home to the Statue of Liberty. Liberty Island, however, has a longer history, from its stint as a smallpox quarantine station, to the years when it was known as “Love Island”, to the construction of Fort Wood, the star shaped structure that still stands today. We’ll then move on to the statue herself: designed by Frenchman Gustave Eiffel and gifted to the US in 1886, the neoclassical statue has long been an icon of American freedom and liberty, standing guard at the entry to New York Harbor.
Onto Ellis Island
Board the ferry and ride to Ellis Island. Situated just behind Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island represented a gateway to America and a promise of a better life for many immigrants. With the Manhattan skyline in the background, learn the long history of the island, named after colonial merchant Samuel Ellis and acquired by the state of New York in 1785.