Ellis Island in 1905
On December 17, 1900, a magnificent new building opened on Ellis Island, to inspect and "process" immigrants. Designed to handle approximately 500,000 people a year, it quickly proved to be inadequate for the numbers of of immigrants flooding into the United States from all parts of the world. (NPS Photo)
Ellis Island 1892
On January 1, 1892, Ellis Island opened in New York Harbor as America's first federally-operated immigration station. In June 1897, the station burned down in a fire. While no one was seriously injured, the station was completely destroyed. It would have to be re-built. (NPS Photo)
Legal Inspection
Immigrants have passed the medical inspection and now have to pass the legal inspection, which consists of Immigration Officers asking questions from the ship manifests. (NPS Photo)
Immigrants have arrived!
Immigrants carrying their belongings as they head towards the Main Building to be inspected. (NPS Photo)
The Registry Room
The anxiety level was high in the Registry Room as immigrants await the legal inspection trying to make it into America. (NPS Photo)
Arriving at Ellis Island
Immigrants getting off the ferry and heading in to be inspected. All were anxious to find their American Dream. (NPS Photo)
The Registry Room
The Registry Room or Great Hall went through many changes throughout time. (NPS Photo)
The dreaded Eye Exam
A woman is having her eyes checked for Trachoma by a health physician. Doctors checked for this very contagious eye disease by using a woman's buttonhook, usually used to fasten buttons on shoes. (NPS Photo)
The Registry Room
An early morning here at Ellis before the "huddled masses" of immigrants fill the Hall. (NPS Photo)
Women from Guadalupe At Ellis Island on April 6th, 1911. (NPS)
Cantonese woman. (NPS photo)
Jewish family from England posing for the camera. (NPS photo)
Swedish children in folk costumes. (NPS photo)
An Italian piper posing for camera on May 12, 1908. (NPS photo)
Four male Moroccan immigrants. (NPS photo)
Dutch immigrant Dingenis Glerum with his wife and 11 children. (NPS photo)
Five young females in their traditional garb. (NPS photo)
Johanna Dykhof with her 11 children moving to Minnesota from Holland. (NPS photo)
A Polish mother and her nine children. (NPS photo)
Three young women from Slovakia. (NPS photo)
Scottish immigrant John D. Third and family getting their picture taken before heading to Alabama in September 1905. (NPS photo)