Today in History: Ellis Island
Today in History–January 1–the Library of Congress features Ellis Island. On this date in 1892 a fifteen-year old Irish girl named Annie Moore became the first person to pass through the doors of the Ellis Island Immigration Station. Between 1892 and 1954, more than 12 million immigrants, as many at 5,000 a day, passed through Ellis Island to start a new life in the United States. At the station, in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, immigrants underwent medical examinations and answered questions about their work, money situations, and destinations. Learn more by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access primary sources related to Ellis Island and immigration.
Selected images of Ellis Island and immigration, ca. 1880-1920
More Ellis Island images
Our immigrants at Ellis Island (1912 booklet)
Ellis Island: select newspaper articles from Chronicling America
More Ellis Island historical newspaper coverage
Modern-day legislation related to Ellis Island
More immigration primary source collections, background information & teaching resources