Teacher Trekker

A Brief History of the Statue of Liberty

Surrounding the southern tip of Manhattan are a number of smaller islands within the New York Harbor that have significant cultural and historical connections to local and American history. Liberty Island is the home of, drum roll, the Statue of Liberty. The sculpture was a gift from France to the United States and dedicated on the 28th of October, 1886. Designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi the statue is full of symbolism. The copper statue is of a robed woman who represents Libertas who was the Roman goddess of freedom. In her right hand she is holding a torch that serves as the guiding light that welcomed immigrants as they made their sea voyage to New York in America. In her left hand is a tablet that is inscribed with the date July 4, 1776, commemorating the ratification of the American Declaration of Independence. At her feet lie broken chains symbolizing the bonds of slavery and inequality that were broken following the Civil War. The sculpture was made a National Monument in 1924 and was put under the control of the National Park Service (NPS) in 1933. Today, the Statue of Liberty still stands in New York harbor serving as an iconic symbol of freedom as it has since its inception almost 150 years ago.

Also in the harbor is Ellis Island. From 1892 until 1954 Ellis Island was America’s busiest immigration center and was the first stop foreign travelers made before gaining access to the country. Here immigrants were put through a series of tests and inspections to determine if they should be allowed into the country. Most were welcomed to America, but for some, their desire to live the American dream was cut short when they were deported because of diseases or other problems. After the closing of the immigration center, many of the buildings went into disrepair. The site was made part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965 under the jurisdiction of the NPS. Eventually restoration work began that reflects what the island looks like today. Since 1990, visitors have made this a stop on their ferry ride around New York Harbor, where they will be able to visit the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. This coupled with time at the Statue of Liberty makes for an informative day about the history of New York City.

To travel to Liberty & Ellis Island requires taking a ferry from downtown Manhattan to reach these national treasures. Travelers need to make their way to Battery Park, specifically Castle Clinton. Built at the turn of the nineteenth century Castle Clinton has served many purposes throughout New York City’s history. Originally, it was the West Battery that served as a fort on an artificial island off the coast of lower Manhattan. It was intended to be used to defend NYC against the British military, but ended up never being used during the War of 1812 or any other conflict. It was also the location of America’s first immigration center prior to the opening of Ellis Island. Additionally, the location has served as an exhibition hall, theater, aquarium, and even a beer garden. In 1966 Castle Clinton was made a national monument and has been under the jurisdiction of the NPS since that time. For more about the history of Castle Clinton, check out the museum near the ticket booths while waiting for your ferry to arrive.

Getting There

How you will get to the ferry at Battery Park depends on where you are in New York City. I would recommend that you do everything in your power to prevent using your own car. For the most part, driving is an unrealistic method of transportation in Manhattan that will result in traffic jams, limited meter parking, and most likely end up in expensive parking lot fees. A taxi may be an option depending on the time and your willingness to spend the extra money on cab fare. Considering that, your best option is to take the subway. There are a number of different train lines that make stops at the southern tip of Manhattan. What train you take will determine which direction you need to travel to reach the ferry. Regardless of what subway line you choose, the walk from the station to the ferry should not take more than 10 minutes for your average walker.

I had the opportunity to play guide again, because I had a friend in town who was interested in visiting the Statue of Liberty. Based on where we were traveling from, the R train was the most convenient train for us to make our way to downtown Manhattan. We got off the R train at the Whitehall Street station and proceeded to use the South Ferry Exit. From there we walked to the west side of Manhattan towards Battery Park and Castle Clinton, which is the location of the ticket booths and the pier. Once we arrived at Castle Clinton it was time to get our tickets.

Getting Tickets

Tickets for the ferry tour are available for purchase online or at the Castle Clinton ticket booths. Actually, I purchased our tickets online using the official affiliate website. It is easier, saves time and allows you to plan ahead. When we showed up to get our tickets there were only 3 people on the will call line. I didn’t get an exact count, but there were over 40 people on the regular line. This was before noon on a weekday during the summer.

There are three options available when purchasing tickets. There is the general reserve ticket, the pedestal access ticket and finally the lucrative crown ticket. It is quite easy to get general admission tickets to visit the Statue of Liberty. These tickets only give you access to the park grounds, and you will not be able to gain entry to the pedestal platform level or the crown.

The next option is the pedestal reserve tickets, which interestingly are not any more expensive than the general reserve tickets. Considering they cost the same amount, it is smarter to purchase the pedestal reserve tickets whether you decide to go inside the building and gain access to the pedestal level or not. From the platform you will be able to get better views of the surrounding harbor and the Manhattan skyline.

The last option is the crown access ticket. They only cost a few dollars more, but they are so limited in quantity that there is often a multiple month waiting list, so if you plan on going to the Statue of Liberty and want to climb all the way to the top of the spiral staircase, then you need to plan months in advance. One other point to consider when purchasing tickets is the physical health of those who are visiting. There is no elevator access to the top of the crown. Therefore, if climbing stairs and/or vertigo is a problem for you, then I would recommend against the crown tickets.

Security Checkpoint

As a result of the threats against United States’ citizens and infrastructure, the government and a variety of federal, state and local agencies around the country work vigorously and collaboratively to protect National Monument sites and the tourists who visit them. We were both just back from Asia, and this was airport style security indeed. Fortunately, we planned accordingly. I actually didn’t wear a belt on purpose, and we put all of our belongings in my bag and went through more easily than most. The staff was extremely professional and thorough. Following the checkpoint, visitors were directed to the line to prepare to board the ferry.

The Ferry Tour

I often question why people sit on the inside of the ferry. Although there are hordes of tourists with their cell phones raised as high in the air as possible to take photos, the view is on the outside not the interior of the ferry. In terms of which deck to stand on I find little difference between the second upper deck compared to the first upper deck. Actually, the higher up you get, the longer it will take to disembark the ferry. There was also a stand in the interior of the boat that served snacks, drinks and souvenirs.

The ferry tour will take you from lower Manhattan or New Jersey to Liberty Island and then Ellis Island before returning to your original port. Follow the schedule and plan accordingly based on the lines you will see forming throughout the day. Being at the end of the line or rushing to catch the ferry often results in having to wait around for the next ferry. Also when going from Liberty Island to Ellis Island, you should stand on the port side (left) of the ferry for better views of the Statue of Liberty on the way back.

Liberty Island

The Statue of Liberty is the main attraction on Liberty Island. Depending on your ticket, visitors are allowed different access to the monument. General reserve ticket holders are free to walk around the island. Some of the best photo opportunities of Lady Liberty as she rises above the tourists can be taken as you walk the circumference of the island. There are a number of food stands and souvenir shops. There are ample benches and tables to sit, eat and relax. You can also view the Manhattan skyline from yet another perspective.

Pedestal and crown ticket holders have access to the interior of the statue. All bags must be checked into lockers before you can continue inside. The system is computerized, fairly simple and takes credit cards. However, when I went to put my bag in a bottom locker, the spring in the hinge was so tight it snapped the door shut on me before I got the bag inside. One of the staff attendants was able to assist me. It was only a minor delay. Visitors then need to go through another security checkpoint. Following that screening begins the climb up the stairs as you slowly work your way up the statue from the inside of Lady Liberty. There is also a museum and one of the stained-glass torches held by the statue many years ago.

The pedestal level is only the half way point of the stair climb. From this vantage point visitors are able to walk outside and reach the top pedestal level. Here you get a more intimate yet vertical view of the statue. The best views from this point are actually back at Manhattan or towards New Jersey. Better views of Lady Liberty come into perspective as you descend the pedestal stairs.

For those who were able to get crown tickets, the ascent to the top of the statue continues. At the top, visitors reach the highest point in the statue and are able to witness one of the rarest views of Manhattan a person can see due to the limited number of people that the crown area can accommodate.

Regardless of what ticket you will obtain, there are many tourists who will be at the site also. Getting unobstructed photos will be difficult due to the number of visitors. Areas can get quite congested particularly the top pedestal platform that was a traffic jam of people attempting to take photos while others wanted to pass with minimal space for two way traffic.

I would have liked to have been able to obtain a crown ticket and make it all the way to the top of Lady Liberty. Unfortunately, since we did this quite spontaneously, there was no reasonable way to obtain the crown ticket. That being said, I am not going to rush to purchase a crown ticket for three months from now, rather I will wait until I know in advance that some out of town friends are coming to New York and will look forward to taking them then.

Ellis Island

The second stop on the ferry is Ellis Island. The ferry stops directly in front of the Immigration Museum. From a history lovers stand point, it was amazing. There were a number of exhibits of interest. There was a more recent installation that had videos, maps and text about the various immigration movements throughout American history. The word tree was fascinating. It included various words used in our common English vernacular and identified the language that the word from which it derived. It was a perfect example of the melting pot that immigrants have made America.

The remainder of the museum is dedicated to the history of Ellis Island and its role as the main hub of immigration into America for over half a century. Visitors are able to walk through a host of rooms that served various purposes during the immigration process. There were health screening rooms, courtrooms, various educational and sensory testing centers, to name a few. The walls of other rooms were also covered with countless primary documents and display cases filled with artifacts all connected to the immigrant experience. The passage advertisements were written in every language you could think of ushering immigrants to a land of opportunity. Finally, there is the Great Hall, a large arched room where immigrants were processed. The archival photos help set the mood as you visually recreate the scene from the balcony of the hall. The museum paints a vivid picture of the immigrant experience and their impact on the history and development of the United States.

Depending on your level of interest you can spend an entire afternoon exploring the different exhibits and historical rooms throughout the building. As a history teacher in NYC, there is a great deal of relevant information worth a deeper exploration. School trips can be arranged allowing students to experience American history first hand. Conversely, if you have little interest you can always stay on the ferry and skip Ellis Island altogether. Personally, I would recommend you plan to spend at least an hour at the museum, but anyone spending more than two hours is probably reading every document and staring at each photo for extended periods of time. That is unless they are students doing a museum exploration for my history course.

Following your time in the museum, visitors are free to stay on the island, but there is little to do other than relax, grab a snack and take a few more photos of the Manhattan skyline. Like most people we got on line for the ferry and shortly after headed back to lower Manhattan. Once we returned to Manhattan I suggested that we take a nice leisurely walk up Broadway and get something to eat. For more about the rest of my day check out my article: NYC – Lower Manhattan Walking Tour

Overall, we had an enjoyable day riding the ferry around New York harbor visiting Liberty and Ellis Islands. The weather was amazing and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. The bright blue sky and the reflection of the ocean waves made for some great photo opportunities of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. The day was also extremely informative. Visitors are able to learn a great deal about New York and American history. I learned a great deal and have been studying connected concepts for many years now. Whether you are a domestic or international traveler who is interested in history or sightseeing, a day riding the ferry to some of New York’s historical islands should be a great day, weather permitting.