Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

We were on the first boat to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island this morning and the last boat home this evening.

This dock was right across the marina from our campsite so it was easy to arrive early, even for the Grubb family.

On our ride over we got our first good look at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

On Ellis Island we toured the building that millions of immigrants passed through when coming to America.

Ellis island before (above) and after (below) adding to the island to create the complex of buildings needed to support the millions of immigrants to pass-through here.

This great hall would've been full of hundreds of these benches that the boys are sitting on below. People waiting for their names to be called.

Then they would approach these desks and answer some questions and be admitted or have to wait.

The audio tour was pretty interesting. I think we would have needed two days straight to hear everything that they offer, so we had to pick and choose what we wanted to hear more (or less) about.

In the more modern immigration exhibition, these questions were presented… Could I pass the citizenship test? (Actually, we found one online after witnessing the new citizens being sworn in at Roger Williams Memorial in Rhode Island, and I did pass.)

Next up, another short ferry ride to Liberty Island.

There's a museum inside the pedestal.

Nice views.

Outside, there were five small statuettes of the various people involved in making the statue originally happen.

Edouard Laboulaye had the original idea.

Auguste Bartholdi sculpted. Gustavo Eiffel designed the structure that would hold the statue up from the inside (before he built the Eiffel Tower 3 years later). Joseph Pulitzer (who upon his death established the Pulitzer Prize) headed up a fund raising campaign for the pedestal. Emma Lazarus wrote a poem, which would later be inscribed on the statue, to help with the fundraising. (her poem was entitled "The New Colossus", the "old" Colossus being the one at Rhodes. It included the famous words "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free ...")

WOW! We learned a lot today!

So thankful for a great full day and a full crockpot of yummy food when we got back to the camper!