Ellis Island :: essays research papers fc

Ellis IslandIn the 1600s, Ellis Island was known as Gull Island by the Mohegan sept and was simply 2 to three acres. During high tide, the island could barely have been seen supra the rising waters. After being discovered for its rich oyster beds in 1628, Dutch settlers renamed it Oyster Island. And then in 1765, which was the hanging of Anderson the Pirate, the island was again renamed the gibbet Island, after the instrument used to hang him. Finally on January 20, 1785, Samuel Ellis purchased the property and gave it his name, which is still the name of the island today, Ellis IslandAfter passing through a few generations of Elliss descendents, the island was bought by the state of saucily York, and then sold to the federal brass in 1808 for ten thousand dollars. During the years of 1812 to 1814, the United States Army erected fortress Gibson, which was eventually taken apart by the government in 1861. In 1876, the United States Navy used Ellis Island as a weapons warehouse , storing 260,000 pounds of powder. However, complaints from nearby New Jersey residents lead to the removal of the storage area in 1890.The superior station, Castle Garden at the Battery in lower Manhattan, could non handle all of the immigrants coming in. To have room for the immigrants, the island grew to 3.3 acres. In the succeeding(prenominal) two years, Ellis was enlarged to fourteen acres in order to survive all of the immigrants and support buildings. By January 1, 1892, Elliss first immigration station, a two story high structure of Georgia pine, was open ready for pedigreeThe most impressive room in the building was the registry room. It calculated 200 feet by 100 feet, and had an impressive fifty-six foot arch ceiling. Twelve narrow aisles, divided by iron bars, channeled new arrivals to be examined by doctors at the front of the room. The officials who worked at the island, however, were not impressed by the architecture. In fact, they constantly complained of lea ky roofs, and other problems within the building.After languish and heated arguments between experts, it was decided that the Superintendent of Construction was extremely inexperienced, and that at that place was "recklessness in the handling of public money," on the part of the exchequer Department and the Immigration Bureau of Officials. The entire building, excluding the hospitals, had been built shoddily. After intelligence of the problems with the building had been in the media, a lot of people involved with the kink of the building resigned their positions.