Ellis Island

This year marks the 130th anniversary of the opening of Ellis Island, the busiest immigration station in the history of the United States. Between 1892 and 1954, over 12 million people passed through Ellis Island on their journey to become Americans.

Ellis Island began as a military defense post. Immediately following the American Revolution, the government sought better protection for its largest city, New York, which had been easily overtaken by the British in 1776 and remained their base throughout the war. Ellis Island was the most logical and strategic choice, and Fort Gibson was constructed on it in 1795, along with several other fortifications surrounding the city. But Fort Gibson never saw combat. During the War of 1812 it served as a barracks and during the Civil War as an artillery magazine. By the 1870s, the magazine had fallen into disrepair.

Immigration had always been handled differently by the varying states in the union. When Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1891, the federal government took control of immigration and needed an official processing station. Ellis Island was chosen as the ideal site, and the immigration station opened on January 1, 1892. Annie Moore, a 17-year-old Irish girl, was the first person processed on Ellis Island. That day, almost 700 people were interviewed and given various medical and mental tests for admittance.

Over the next several decades, millions of immigrants passed through the halls of Ellis Island, including Irving Berlin, Bob Hope, Knute Rockne, Bela Lugosi, Al Jolson, Cary Grant, Frank Capra, Charles Atlas, and Isaac Asimov. But between 1921 and 1924, strict immigration quotas were established which drastically reduced the number of immigrants that could be admitted to the country. In addition, most inspections were conducted on board the ships in New York Harbor. As the need for it decreased, Ellis Island eventually became merely a detention center for deportees. In March 1955, the island was officially declared no longer necessary for immigration.

Ellis Island Immigration Museum entrance, 2009. Photo courtesy of chensiyuan.

In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson officially incorporated Ellis Island into the Statue of Liberty National Monument. The National Park Service restored the buildings and created a beautiful and educational museum documenting the history and importance of Ellis Island. The museum can only be reached by ferry, but it is a fascinating piece of our history that is well worth the visit. For more information, visit the National Park Service's Ellis Island site.

MLK Day

Remember to fly the flag on Monday, January 17, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It has also become a national tradition to celebrate the day with service. Be sure to look for opportunities to serve your local community and make a difference!

Glendale and ParadeStore.com

Glendale outfits honor guards, color guards, and drill units. Visit our site for the best in parade and drill equipment and for uniform accessories at https://www.glendale.com.

Changing your email address?

Please remember: Each time you change your email address, you need to re-subscribe to stay on our email list and continue receiving the Bugler. As soon as you opt in, please also add our address, bugler@glendale.com, to your address book and have us put on your corporate white list. That will prevent spam filters from blocking us out!

Internet Service Provider and Firewall Problems

If you receive email through a service provider such as aol.com or you have firewall software such as Norton's Internet Security or Anti-virus, please add our email address to your address book and unblock email list. In an effort to control SPAM these companies are blocking certain emails before they reach your inbox or discarding emails into a separate folder other than your inbox based on certain criteria. If you have any questions on this subject please feel free to contact us.

Tell a friend!

If you think our e-mail newsletter, the Bugler, is informative and interesting, please tell friends to subscribe at https://www.glendale.com or click on the link below that says "Forward To A Friend." If you have suggestions for the Bugler, tell us! Write to bugler@glendale.com.