ONCE upon a very long time ago, it was witness to the largest human migration in the history of mankind.
It became the first stop for the 12 million immigrants who arrived in the United States between 1892 and 1954 when Europe was ailing, politically and economically.
That’s Ellis Island, a mere 10-minute boat ride from Lower Manhattan and in full view of New York City’s prettiest woman – the Statue of Liberty, which is just a stone's throw away.
“This is where it all happened. Today, at least 100 million Americans can trace their roots to those who came through Ellis Island,” said park ranger Douglas Treem of the National Park Service, which has jurisdiction over the place.
These early immigrants came in search of that magic word – no, not freedom – but opportunity.
“It’s the one thing which many American boys and girls today don’t even know they have,” Treem remarked cynically.
Most of those who came were from Italy, Russia and Britain. (Today, the Mexicans are the biggest group but that’s another story.)
“The streets were not paved with gold. In fact, they were not even paved and everybody expected me to pave them,” Treem said, repeating a joke which an old Italian immigrant told his family about his American experience.
The immigration process at the station in Ellis Island then was fairly quick; most arrivals did not spend more than three hours there.
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler,” said Treem, quoting Albert Einstein, in describing the straightforward procedures that immigrants went through as they arrived in Ellis Island.
That could have been the rule of how they ran the place then, he added.
Of course, the immigration process had grown complex through the years and today an immigrant could be on the waiting list for at least seven years, Treem said.
The immigrants, Treem said, built New York City. “The city can’t get by without them.” Even today.
Ellis Island has become a major historic site in the United States, its main building that acts as the Immigration Museum now gets almost two million visitors each year.
The museum itself has been well preserved as “almost every inch” is in its original state. “Even the benches are original,” Treem said.
Movies are shot on the site sometimes. In Hitch, Will Smith’s character took Eva Mendes for a visit to Ellis Island.
But for all its history and attractions, the 30 vacant buildings on the island are in dilapidated condition today. Broken windowpanes and wild grass are everywhere.
Many of these buildings used to be hospitals to treat sick immigrants in the old days.
Last week, a group of foreign journalists was briefed about the restoration project that involves the National Park Service and Save Ellis Island Inc.
Save Ellis Island Inc is a non-profit organisation that is working with the National Park Service towards rehabilitating the 30 buildings “to complete Ellis Island’s story as a major gateway to America.”
The first restoration project to be completed was the Ferry Building two months ago. Funds came from the federal and state governments, besides private financing.
Cynthia R. Garrett, who is superintendent of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island, has some interesting anecdotes about the place.
In 1954, she said, Ellis Island was closed and declared excess federal property.
“It was put up for sale. The asking price was US$3mil (RM10.4mil) and it remained unsold for the next 10 years,” she said.
That price was considered staggering in those days. Today, a two-bedroom apartment in Lower Manhattan could fetch almost US$1.8mil (RM6.2mil).
It was only in September 1990 that the Ellis Island Immigration Museum was opened to the public.
The president of Save Ellis Island Inc, Judith R. McAlpin, said the buildings were now in various stages of restoration.
“We would keep the exterior as they are,” she said. Plans are afoot to have a hotel or a retreat eventually.
This is because Ellis Island, despite its proximity to the oh-so-mad Manhattan, remains a serene place that offers sanctuary to visitors.
