Stories, news, and updates about Lady Liberty and Ellis Island brought to you by The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Foundation remembers Yma Sumac, the influential Peruvian-born singer, composer, actress, and model.
A music pioneer, Yma Sumac can be found in the Ellis Island Passenger Database as she passed through the Port of New York while traveling back from a tour in Europe. She was held at Ellis Island for seven days for charges that were not made public.
Ellis Island may not appear large on a map, but its significance is great, having welcomed more than 12 million immigrants to our shores. Yet, when its role as the country’s first Federal Immigration Station became obsolete, Ellis Island was unceremoniously abandoned in 1954.
Join the Foundation’s Stephen Lean, Director of the American Family Immigration History Center, on October 18 (12:00-1:00 pm ET) for a Q&A and virtual screening of Unforgotten: Ellis Island, a short film about the unrestored spaces of Ellis Island.
September 10th marks 33 years since the unveiling of the Ellis Island restoration, which at the time was the largest historical restoration ever undertaken in the United States.
If walls could talk, spaces throughout Ellis would have endless stories to tell. Ellis Island is a place that represents hope and tears. It is a place that needed to be restored to honor the millions of Americans who passed through the famous immigration station.
Coney Island and Atlantic City have delighted generations of Americans seeking respite from the summer doldrums. The innovative ideas and hard work of immigrants helped create the lively and diverse experiences that made the boardwalk a symbol of fun in the sun.
American Family Immigration History Center research experts Dana Ebralidze and Jon Da Silva explored the relationship between Coney Island, Atlantic City, and Ellis Island. The breadth and depth of immigrant connections are impressive: from the daughter of Russian immigrants who grew up to become Miss America to the Romanian immigrant whose imagination led to the building of the Wonder Wheel to a young immigrant from Belarus who would later be nicknamed “the Mob’s Accountant” for his alleged connections to the seedier side of the glittering seaside casinos.
Read on for a sampling and check out this content (on display at the Family History Center through September 2023) to learn more about Atlantic City and Coney Island.
Special thanks to Stephen Lean, Director of the American Family Immigration History Center at Ellis Island, for contributing to this post.
This summer, our Foundation welcomed six interns to our team who supported three departments. We appreciated their enthusiasm, creativity, and dedication to supporting our mission. We’re excited to reflect on their accomplishments.
When President Ronald Reagan asked Lee Iacocca to chair the initiative to restore the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island for their respective centennials, this first-generation American accepted as a way of honoring those who came before him.
[T]his was something I had to do. It’s a labor of love for me.
In 1986, Lee led a four-day extravaganza commemorating the statue’s reopening. Millions attended dozens of events throughout the Liberty Weekend Celebration.
Among them was a young Lisa Kelechava alongside her family, including Uncle Lee.
We’re celebrating Pride Month with a look at some of the inspirational figures from the LGBTQ community found in our Ellis Island Passenger Database. Our featured travelers – Edna Thomas, Olivia Wyndam, Radclyffe Hall, and Frank Woodhull – exemplified the bravery that LGBTQ Pride Month celebrates. To find more influential figures who passed through Ellis Island, explore our digital passenger database.
The Foundation is excited to welcome our 2023 class of summer interns – (left to right) Gemma Oshiro, Lucy Bernstein, Fiona O’Reilly, Nico Kossakowski, Retta Karpinski, and Claire Hunt. This talented group comes from various universities and hails from around the country, with diverse family histories. Using their educational experiences, they will support our mission to preserve and restore the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island!
Carter Woodson, Shirley Chisholm, James Baldwin, and Althea Gibson were experts in their crafts and established phenomenal legacies. They are just a handful of African-Americans who made their way through Ellis Island and who’s passenger records can be found in the Ellis Island Database.
The Foundation is proud to recognize their inspiring life stories and remarkable contributions to America’s story. Click HERE to learn more about their stories.
To find more influential leaders who passed through Ellis Island, from Josephine Baker to Louis Armstrong, explore our digital passenger database.
In the mid-1980s, with Lady Liberty’s centennial restoration completed, The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation turned its focus to restoring Ellis Island – our nation’s first federal immigration station.
The Ellis Island restoration project was a massive, multi-year endeavor. Working closely with its National Park Service partners and preservation experts, the Foundation was well-equipped to complete the restoration and museum construction. But another critical and equally daunting piece of the project was needed: fundraising.
October 28 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LADY LIBERTY!
The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom and liberty all over the world. Although most visit New York Harbor to behold the 305-foot monument, there are hundreds of replicas across the globe. In celebration of Lady Liberty’s 136th birthday, we’re giving a shoutout to just a few. Have you come across a duplicate statue in your travels? Share your photos with us @StatueEllisFdn!
The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Foundation was honored to be a part of a September 17 Naturalization Ceremony that welcomed 200 of our nation’s newest citizens. Following in the footsteps of 12 million Ellis Island immigrants, the candidates, who hailed from more than 60 countries, gathered in the monument’s historic Great Hall. Attorney General Merrick Garland led them through the oath of allegiance and proclaimed, “This country – your country – wholeheartedly welcomes you.”
DATE: Thursday, September 1st
TIME: 12:00 – 1:00 pm EDT
Join The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation for a virtual screening of UNFORGOTTEN: ELLIS ISLAND, the latest installment in the Unforgotten film series.
The film features interviews with former Foundation CEO Stephen Briganti and current Director of the American Family Immigration History Center, Stephen Lean.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Stephen Lean and the film’s creator, Aaron Asis.
| The Foundation recently welcomed members of the Statue of Liberty Club to Liberty Island for a ceremony to unveil the group’s name on the Statue of Liberty Museum’s Donor Wall. The Club joins other important partners whose generosity helped to make the Museum a reality. |
Traveling can be amazing and memorable, but not always in a good way. Unfortunately circumstances can leave you frustrated, disappointed, or even cheated out of money, time, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Every year this happens to thousands of people hoping to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Ticket scammers or general misinformation lead visitors to ferries that only sail around the Hudson River, never reaching the actual monuments. In some cases, the experience begins and ends with a bus ride from Manhattan to New Jersey, adding hours to the failed adventure.
The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation does not want this to happen to you!
Statue City Cruises is the ONLY vendor authorized to provide tickets and transportation to Liberty and Ellis Islands. No other ferry company can give you access to the Islands, monuments, and museums.
“America’s Pastime” is actually an international affair. Currently Major League Baseball boasts players from more than two dozen countries. Throughout its history, immigrants and first-generation Americans have made their mark on the diamond. Here’s a look at just a few.
YOU CAN WATCH A RECORDING OF STEPHEN’S PRESENTATIONS HERE.
Join Stephen Lean, director of our Family History Center, to explore ways in which immigration has enhanced the nation’s life. On Sunday, July 3, Stephen will be “The Forum at St. Bart’s” featured speaker, sharing examples of landmarks (e.g. Yosemite National Park, the Lincoln Memorial), monumental and mundane innovations (e.g., Mr. Coffee, bubble wrap), and other American hallmarks that trace their roots to an immigrant.
For information about in-person or virtual participation go to StBarts.org/grow/The-Forum.
On June 21, the Foundation participated in Fête de la Musique, a free, worldwide festival where music enthusiasts – professional and amateur – share their talents in public performances.
Jesse Brackenbury joined French Ambassador to the U.S. Philippe Étienne and others for a kick-off press conference in Battery Park with Lady Liberty overlooking the festivities.
Remarks were followed by a performance of Carnival of the Animals, written in 1886 by French composer Camille Saint-Saens, and more on Liberty and Ellis Island.
We are thrilled to welcome four incredibly talented young professionals as our first class of interns at The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. They represent an array of universities and areas of study, and bring their own rich, unique family immigration stories. This summer they will directly support our mission to preserve and restore the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island!
Check out their stories and stay up to date with their time at the Foundation by following us at @StatueEllisFdn
Throughout its history, Ellis Island welcomed notable pioneers of the LGBTQ community. Despite discriminatory laws and frequent public condemnation, personal, business, and even health-related reasons spurred travel to and from the United States.
Searching the Ellis Island Database for relevant passenger manifests you’ll find travel records for the likes of Christine Jorgensen, considered to be “America’s First Transgender Celebrity”; Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld who founded what is said to be the first “advocacy for LGBTQ rights” in response to many of his gay patients committing suicide; and Eva Kotchever (aka Evan Adams), author of Lesbian Love, a collection of short stories.
If you’re visiting the American Family Immigration History Center during Pride Month, check out the display curated by research experts from the American Family Immigration History Center at Ellis Island to examine individual manifests and photographs honoring these often-accidental trailblazers.
Join The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation and co-hosts from the Tenement Museum for a panel discussion about the Ellis Island immigrant experience and for a look at how these individuals from all corners of the world helped share New York City and beyond.
Join us Wednesday, May 11, 8:00-9:00 pm (EDT) for a conversation about two of the country’s most consequential immigration stations: Ellis Island and Angel Island.
Among the topics to be covered by Stephen Lean, Direct of the Family History Center at Ellis Island and Casey Dexter-Lee, State Park Interpreter for Angel Island Immigration Station:
This free, virtual presentation is co-hosted by The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation and the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month.
Register here.
From family heritage to family vacations, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island hold special meaning to millions. For Ariel and Margie Moutsatsos, the significance spans generations.
October 11, 2015, Ariel Moutsatsos and Margie Lope began a new chapter in the family’s story with an engagement celebration aboard a private boat in New York Harbor hired by Ariel for the occasion. “I knew I wanted to involve Ellis and Lady Liberty somehow, since they meant so much for us and our families,” explained Ariel. “I told Margie that the trip was a way to remember where we came from.”
The immigrant experience at Ellis Island was carefully documented by filmmakers, with some of the most notable footage dating back to 1903.
These scenes include a woman holding a child and waving an American flag, a man with two infants in a crowd of families posing for the camera, immigrants streaming off the boat at Ellis Island, and women staring at the Statue of Liberty.
Be on the lookout for these clips, which are often featured in documentaries about Ellis Island and European immigration. You might even spot a family member in the crowds; after all, about 30 percent of Americans can trace at least one ancestor through Ellis Island.
A visit to the Foundation’s American Family Immigration History Center at Ellis Island takes you back in time as you retrace the steps of your Ellis Island ancestors.
Through a special initiative between SOLEIF and the Italian-based SlideWorld, now you can also journey back to the Old World, crossing a virtual bridge to another cultural institution.
Step through SlideDoor!
For millions, the Statue of Liberty holds great meaning, sparking memories and emotions that are as unique as Lady Liberty herself.
Some people are reminded of their ancestors arriving in a new world for a new life. Others reflect on her symbolism and the circumstances that inspired the people of France to gift the Statue to America. For Jack Laub, the Statue of Liberty is the beacon that welcomed him home from war – six times.
“We have a special day or week for just about everything, from Taco Day and Handbag Day to Name Your Car Day, but we do very little to honor our cities and towns. We decided to do something about it.” Ken Burns & Marty Stuart – Opinion contributors – USA Today
The Foundation was invited to participate in “Honor Your Hometown,” an initiative by documentary producer Ken Burns….
There are many myths and misconceptions associated with Ellis Island, but one stands out above all others… “Where are the Books?”
This is the most common question heard by our expert researchers at The American Family Immigration History Center.
It certainly is a romantic notion – examining actual documents that were held and signed by your ancestor a century ago. Alas, this is not reality, despite what Hollywood tells us (Thank you, HITCH! *)
