Fraternity-Testvériség, 1991 (69. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1991-04-01 / 2. szám
Page 4 TESTVÉRISÉG Honoring The Nation's Flag On Ellis Island For the millions of people who pulled up their roots and headed for a new life in America, their dreams of coming to the "promised land" became reality as they entered Ellis Island. From 1892, when an immigrant station was built on the tiny island in New York Harbor, until 1954, when the station closed its doors, Ellis Island processed millions of hopeful immigrants - from whom are descended almost half of all Americans today. Known by several early names - Gull Island to the Native Americans, Dyre's or Bucking Island in the late 17th and early 18th century, and Gibbet or Anderson's Island in the pre-Revolutionary period (because of hangings of traitors and pirates there) - the original 3-acre mud flat was owned by Samuel Ellis in the late 18th century. When the island came into the possession of New York State in 1808, the name Ellis Island stuck, and later that year, the federal government bought it for $10,000. The island served as an arsenal during the war of 1812. Then, in 1890, when the states turned over control of immigration to the federal government, the first immigration station was constructed on Ellis Island. Nearly 700 immigrants passed through the Ellis Island Immigration Station the day it was opened, January 1, 1892. In the first year, nearly 450,000 immigrants landed there. In 1897, a fire destroyed the station. A new facility, designed by architects Boring & Tilton and built at a cost of $1.5 million, opened in 1900. Over the years Ellis Island was enlarged with landfill (to its present 27.5 acres) and the facilities were expanded to include a kitchen and laundry building (complete with dining room for 1,200), a baggage and dormitory building, hospitals and contagious disease wards. The island's peak year was 1907, when it received over one million immigrants; 12,000 were processed on April 17, the single busiest day. Mass immigration ended after the Immigration Act of 1924 and Ellis Island's chief function changed to the detention and deportation of aliens who had entered the United States illegally or had violated the terms of their admittance. During World War II the island had multiple functions: the Coast Guard was stationed there; suspected enemy aliens were detained; and wounded servicemen were cared for in the hospitals. The number of detainees on Ellis Island grew briefly after the passage of the Internal Security Act of 1950 but the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1952 slowed activity further. After 62 years of service, Ellis Island was closed in November 1954 and declared surplus federal property. President Lyndon B. Johnson added Ellis Island to the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965, placing it under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan asked Lee Iacocca to undertake a private sector effort to restore the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation was formed to raise funds for the restoration and preservation of these important national monuments. The island was open to visitors from 1976 until 1984 when the $160 million restoration began. It is the largest restoration project of its kind in American history and was completed in the fall of 1990 when the Ellis Island Immigration Museum opened. Nearly 1,000 fraternalists from throughout the United States gathered together on Ellis Island on June 14 to honor the nation's flag and to pay tribute to the millions of immigrants who came to America From l. to r. V.P. Suzanne Virgulák; Ovi Puskas; Ernie Virgulák; Anna Lipoczky & V.P.-Seer. George Dózsa
