Display of steamer trunks at the Ellis Island baggage room

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BAGGAGE ROOM

Upon entering the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, you will find yourself in the Baggage Room, the main lobby of the first floor. This was the first place that immigrants came to after getting off the ferry, just as it is today for visitors. Bags were checked here, and then the immigrants continued through the inspection process. Once allowed to enter the United States, they could hire a private company to arrange shipping of their baggage to their final destination. The companies were often corrupt, charging too much for the services, stealing luggage, and finding other ways to dupe new arrivals out of their possessions. And it wasn’t just the baggage concessions that was corrupt, but the restaurant, currency exchange, and railroad pool. In 1900, the Immigration Service instigated an investigation. Under the direction of a new commissioner, William Williams, who was appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt, the corrupt companies were ousted and replaced with honest businesses.

Included in the ticket price to Statue of Liberty National Monument is the use of an Acoustiguide audio device; pick it up at the Acoustiguide booth in the Baggage Room. This is a hand-held electronic device that you can listen to as you tour the museum. When you see an exhibit with a number on it, punch in that number to hear more information. If you do get the Acoustiguide, I highly recommend that you bring your own corded earphones so you don’t have to hold the device to your ear like a telephone. Doing this hinders you from taking photos, not to mention that it’s tough bending your elbow for long periods of time…at least when you are old. Acoustiguides are available in Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish. There are also audio tours designed for children ages six to ten that are available in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. In addition, there are separate Acoustiguides with descriptive audio for those who cannot see well and a video device with a sign language interpreter for those who cannot hear.

To the left of the entrance is the National Park Service information desk where you can pick up a park brochure, ask questions of the Ranger on duty, and get the schedule for Ranger-guided museum tours and the park film, Island of Hope, Island of Tears.

Information desk at the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration

Catty-corner to the information desk is the book and souvenir store run by the National Park Service’s concessionaire, Eastern National.

Book and souvenir shop at Ellis Island

THEATER

One of two movie theaters is located to the right when you enter the museum’s Baggage Room. Another theater is located on the second floor directly above it. Both show the same film, the 30-minute Island of Hope, Island of Tears. Shows alternate on the half hour so that a film is always starting just as the other ends. The film is narrated by Gene Hackman and covers the entire process of immigration, from the journey abroad to all the steps taken to being admitted into the United States. It is an older film (1992) comprised mainly of narration and old photographs, and a little dry compared to the documentaries made today, but the history hasn’t change and it is still highly fascinating and should not be missed. There is no objectionable material, so the film is suitable for all ages.

JOURNEYS: THE PEOPLING OF AMERICA, 1550-1890

Exhibits in the Peopling of America museum gallery

The Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration is comprised of three main exhibition areas, each dealing with a different period of United States immigration history. The original exhibit room that opened in 1990 is on the second floor and deals exclusively with the Ellis Island era. On the first floor are two newer galleries, with Journeys: The Peopling of America focusing on immigration to North America from 1550 up through 1890, the year the federal government took over the immigration process and built the Ellis Island facility as its first immigration center. The Peopling of America opened in 2011.

Before setting out determined to do a thorough coverage of the entire museum, understand that it is Smithsonian in size. I spent two days trying to read everything, which is something I do at all National Park museums, but I finally gave up. I suspect that this is the largest museum in the National Park system, and if it isn’t, it’s one of them. I did read everything in this gallery and it took me three hours.

Exhibit on the origins of American music

Since The Peopling of America covers a time before photography became mainstream, nearly all exhibits are information panels with reprints of artwork or newspaper articles. In contrast, the Ellis Island-era gallery on the second floor is full of photos, and of course the other new gallery on the first floor—Journeys: New Eras of Immigration, 1945 to Present—covering modern-day immigration has its share of videos and interactive exhibits.

Exhibits in The Peopling of America museum gallery

JOURNEYS: NEW ERAS OF IMMIGRATION, 1945-PRESENT

Exhibit in the New Eras of Immigration museum gallery

A second permanent gallery is accessed from the first floor, though it is actually housed in a separate building. Titled Journeys: New Eras Of Immigration, this gallery opened in 2015 after being delayed by damage done to the building by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. To reach it, head to the left when entering the main entrance of the museum at the Baggage Room. Located behind the information desk is a walkway to the other building. The way it is designed, you don’t realize that you are actually leaving the main building.

The New Eras of Immigration gallery is nearly the exact same layout as The Peopling of America and covers the same topics, only this gallery deals with immigration from 1945 to the present. I suppose this was done so that after visiting The Peopling of America you would be familiar with the layout and could easily compare the two eras. The only difference is that New Eras Of Immigration is more spread out and has a much more modern atmosphere, complete with videos and other interactive exhibits.

The New Eras of Immigration museum gallery features interactive exhibits

It is interesting to note that prior to the first World War, nearly all immigration to the United States stemmed from the desire to find a better life, be it for economic or health-related reasons such as starvation. After World War I, the majority of immigration is to escape war and persecution.

Exhibit on war refugees

CITIZENSHIP GALLERY

Exhibits in the Citizenship Gallery

Another new exhibit is located across the hall from the New Eras of Immigration, the Citizenship Gallery. This is definitely not to be missed because you can not only learn about the citizenship process, but you can also take a citizenship test. Unfortunately, the computer was down when I visited, but I really wanted to see if I could pass.

The gallery has other interactive and video exhibits that make it a fun room to visit. You can listen to the stories of people who became citizens and play around with a map that shows you where immigrants from a particular country live in America.

Interactive immigrant population map

AMERICAN FAMILY IMMIGRATION HISTORY CENTER

Computer center at the American Family Immigration History Center

If you have ancestors who came to America through Ellis Island, you can research their arrival at the American Family Immigration History Center. There is a fee involved, and you can do this same thing at home for free, but at the History Center there are people who can help you “decode” some of the information. For example, I looked up my grandfather, who was from Greece, and saw that he made two trips to France nearly back-to-back for the purpose of picking up his arranged bride-to-be. I was pretty sure he didn’t have money to be a world traveler, so I asked an assistant about this. The lady pointed out that one passenger manifest showed that he missed the boat for some reason, so he did not travel to France twice. I could not find when he originally came to America, so he may have come through another immigration center, perhaps in Boston or Baltimore.

To use the computers at the History Center, pay the fee at a pay station and you’ll get a ticket with a computer number on it (the pay station and computer areas are located on opposite sides of the hall). Enter the code printed on your ticket to activate the computer. At the time of my visit it was $7 for 30 minutes. Attendants are on duty to help if you have any questions.

ELLIS ISLAND CAFÉ

An indoor entrance to the Ellis Island Café is located at the far right corner from the main entrance into the building. You can also access the café from outside, and there is both indoor and outdoor seating. The menu consists of sandwiches, burgers, pizza, and other typical lunchtime fare. Prices for most entrees are around $10. Once you add in a drink and a possible side item, plan to spend between $15 and $20 per adult and around $10 to $15 per kid (there is a kid’s menu with items below the $10 average).

Ellis Island Cafe at Statue of Liberty National Monument

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