Ellis Island August 1983

The name Ellis Island is familiar to many Americans who have tried to trace the paths of the ancestors during their immigration to the New World. Ellis Island was the primary inspection station from 1892 to 1954. During that period newcomers would be housed at the facility for varying periods of time, often facing a bewildering set of questions and health checks. One can only imagine the tears of joy and sadness as people passed through the halls and offices. As the years passed and more immigrants began to arrive by plane rather than by ship, Ellis Island became less important. Finally, in 1954 the decision was made to close the facility. The doors were locked, with most of the contents of the buildings left inside, and the island was left sitting quietly in New York Harbor. Instead of anxious immigrants, the only visitors to Ellis Island were politicians, real estate speculators - and vandals. Once a showplace for new arrivals, Ellis Island spiraled downward into an amazing state of decay. The buildings were already old by then and suffering from the New York weather. If that wasn't bad enough, they were further ravaged by miscreants who smashed windows, tore holes in the walls, ripped plumbing from the walls and seemingly threw everything that wasn't nailed down into piles of decaying refuse throughout the facility. Finally, in 1976, as part of the nation's bicentennial celebration, Ellis Island was re-opened to visitors on a limited basis. Approximately 50,000 people a year toured the decaying ruins - a small number when you consider that each of the Disney theme parks does more business than that in a single day. Following a $150 million dollar restoration, Ellis Island re-opened once again in 1990, this time with several of the buildings restored to their original grandeur. More than 2 million people now follow in the footsteps of the crowds that had passed through these halls so many years ago. About these photos: They were taken on a tour of Ellis Island in August, 1983. It was a bizarre experience, for as I walked through the buildings there were piles and piles of chairs, tables, typewriters, file cabinets and ledgers seemingly everywhere. I remember thinking that only the government could have walked away from all of this and not even bothered to sell it at a salvage sale or just give it away. Some sections of the island were too dangerous to enter, and a look through the windows of some of those buildings showed plants and moss growing on even larger piles of refuse. I haven't been able to get back to see the island since it was restored, but am glad I did manage to see it in the years it sat waiting for its rebirth. The Main Building's Registry Hall. The small size of the tour group shows how little interest there was in touring Ellis Island at that time. Over the years some of the plaster had fallen away from the walls, revealing the stonework underneath. In a tapestry of destruction and ruin, this light fixture in the Registry Hall was a very unexpected sight indeed. One can only surmise that it survived simply because it was inaccessible due to its height. The intricate tiled ceiling was added in 1917. It was the best preserved feature on the island. Ancient medical equipment stood rusting in the island's hospital. There were racks of old beds, dozens of enameled basins and as seen in the corner of the photo, rather uncomfortable looking wheelchairs. An empty cash register and old ledger books sit on a shelf in the ticket office. This is where those who had passed all of their tests would buy tickets for transportation to the mainland and points elsewhere. I believe this is a view of the room where luggage was stored as the immigrants were being processed. Most of the plaster ceiling had fallen over the years. While the floor had been cleaned in this area, fallen plaster in other areas had become the bed for numerous plants. Outside, the final remains of the island's ferry boat lay disintegrating in its slip. What had been a fully operational ship had been allowed to rot away until it finally just sunk where it was docked. Click here to return to the Places index, or here for the main page of billcotter.com Photos and text Copyrighted by Bill Cotter. All rights reserved. No duplication without advance written permission. Click for free hit counter!