The main immigration station on Ellis Island opened in 1892.
The station began operating on January 1, 1892, as the principal federal immigration processing center in New York Harbor. Annie Moore, a 17-year-old immigrant from County Cork, Ireland, is widely recognized as the first immigrant processed there. She arrived with her two younger brothers to join their parents.
Ellis Island replaced the earlier immigration facility at Castle Garden in Manhattan. During its years of operation, millions of immigrants passed through inspections, medical examinations, and legal checks before entering the United States. The island’s facilities expanded substantially during the 1890s.
A major fire in 1897 destroyed the original wooden immigration buildings, along with many records. The later main building, completed in 1900, is the structure most visitors recognize today. Ellis Island remained an immigration processing center until 1954 and is now part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument.