Arrival in the New World
Ports of Debarkation
After as much as two weeks at sea, the immigrants were
eager to make landfall in America. The majority of Poles landed in New York City — at Castle
Garden if they came prior to 1892, and at Ellis Island after that date.
In addition, many Polish immigrants arrived at the port of Baltimore - Locust
Point was the arrival port for processing immigrants. The actual
numbers of ethnic Polish arrivals is difficult to
estimate due to prolonged occupation of Poland by neighboring states, with total
loss of its international status. Because of the partitions of Poland, most
ethnically Polish immigrants listed Germany, Russia, Austria, or Prussia as
their home country.
New York City - Castle Garden
The vast majority of our immigrant ancestors arrived in
this country prior to the opening of Ellis Island in 1892. Consequently, those
who landed in New York
were processed at Castle Garden, located at the lower tip of Manhattan.
The ship would stop at an out island to clear quarantine before moving forward into New York
Harbor proper. It was at this stage of the journey where the passengers, depending on the date of
their arrival, were greeted by the famous sight of Lady Liberty. The
dedication of the statue took place in October 1886.
First class and cabin passengers were let off at a pier, but steerage passengers
disembarked at the Castle Garden complex itself. The entire area was closed to
non-immigrants, saving the passengers from
scam artists and thieves - at least for the time being. Each immigrant had his name checked against the ship
manifest, underwent a brief medical exam and passed through U.S. Customs.
The amenities at Castle Garden included two wash rooms, one for men and one for
women. There was hot water, soap and towels, all free to the immigrant. The
garden was heated in the winter and in warm weather there was a cooling
fountain.
There were no beds at Castle Garden and immigrants were encouraged to
go on their way the same day they had arrived. People were however, permitted to
sleep in the galleries. Sometimes as many as 3,000 spent the night.
Services were provided to exchange money into US currency, purchase railroad
tickets, forward luggage, and generally give aid and assistance to the
immigrant. There was a telegraph office and a mail service. Many immigrants had
letters waiting for them with money enclosed for the next step of the journey.
Multilingual assistants were available to resolve the myriad of problems that
arose.
Castle
Garden remained the New York processing center for immigrants until April 1890.
From April 1890 until Ellis Island was opened in January 1892, immigrants were
processed through the Barge Office, see below. Castle Garden has been preserved and
is now the Castle Clinton National Monument. It was restored in the 1970s and now contains the ticket offices for
the ferries to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
New York City - the Barge Office
As immigration increased, the facilities at Castle Garden were not large enough to accommodate the numbers of immigrants who were trying to enter the country. While Ellis Island was being prepared as the new immigration center, the Barge Office was used as a temporary facility - a short distance up the battery. Originally this barge office was used by the U.S. Customs bureau for inspection of first and second class passengers. The barge office was a cramped space, hardly adequate for the processing of large numbers of steerage passengers. Nevertheless nearly 525,000 immigrants, eighty percent of the national total, passed through the barge office in the two year interval between the closing of Castle Garden and the opening of Ellis Island. Processing of immigrants at the Barge Office was generally the same as at Castle Garden.
New York City - Ellis Island
the original processing center at Ellis Island (destroyed by fire in 1897)
Ellis Island was opened on January 1, 1892. All immigrants who came into the
port of New York between 1892 and 1924 went through Ellis Island. However, due
to a fire on June 14, 1897 that destroyed the complex, the island was closed
until December 19, 1900. During this period the Barge Office was again used to
process immigrants.
The complex consisted of twelve buildings,
including a large two-story main processing building, a separate group of four hospital buildings, surgeons quarters,
record-storage office, a restaurant and kitchen building, detention building,
disinfecting house, boiler house, and tank and coal house.
The immigration process was largely unchanged. After a ship entered New York Harbor, immigration inspectors and United
States health officers boarded the ship. All steerage passengers were
transferred
from the ship by ferry to the island. Passengers debarked with their luggage and
were tagged with a card that included the page and line number corresponding to
how their names appeared on the ship's manifest. On the main floor of the main
building passengers were advised to check their luggage before going through the
inspection process. They could keep their bags with them if they wanted, but it
was easier to go through the inspection without dragging one's possessions.
Next
they walked single file up the grand staircase, which enabled health inspectors
to do a quick check for lameness and other physical problems. On the second floor was the registry room where US health
officials examined the immigrants. Immigrants were checked for contagious eye
diseases and about fifty other ailments and conditions. Health officials marked
the outer garment of anyone with a health problem with a letter in chalk: an E
for eye problem, an H for heart, a B for lameness, etc. About 20% would receive
chalk marks and be held for closer examination.
After the physical exam, passengers lined up for the legal inspection.
Immigration inspectors, assisted by interpreters, questioned each immigrant to
confirm the information that had been declared before sailing as it was listed
on the ship manifest.
Each immigrant must have a certain amount of money in order that the
Government may be assured that it will not have to provide support. The
questioning lasted two or three minutes and 80% of the immigrants had no problem
with it. If there was
some problem, the immigrant was sent before a special inquiry Board. The Federal
Immigration Act of 1917 required that every immigrant over the age of 14 could
read. The test consisted of reading a passage from the Holy Scriptures from the
given passenger's culture and language. Most immigrants found ways of passing
the test even if they could barely read.
Once these examinations were finished the immigrant was free to leave. However,
unaccompanied single women and their children were not allowed to enter the US
by themselves and had to wait until a male relative came to fetch them.
The majority of immigrants would not stop in New York even for the night, but would immediately make
their way to the trains and boats headed west. Between 1892 and 1924, 16 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island,
an amazing 71% of all immigrants who came into the United States during that
time period.
Baltimore - Locust Point
In 1867, the B&O railroad signed an agreement with the North German Lloyd
Steamship Line, allowing passengers to purchase a single ticket that would carry
them from Bremen, across the Atlantic, and then west by train. In conjunction
with this agreement, the B&O constructed a brand new pier in Baltimore to be
used strictly for processing immigrants. The pier was connected to existing
rail lines. Likewise, the North German Lloyd line created similar partnerships
with train companies in Europe and
established a network of ticket agents throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Immigrants could then travel by train to Bremen, sail on North
German Lloyd ships to Baltimore, disembark from the ship, and directly board
trains that would take them to the Midwest. All at a discounted package rate.
Suddenly, Baltimore became a major player in the immigrant market. Between 1867
and 1914, more than 1.2 million immigrants were processed at Locust Point,
including many of our own ancestors.
After the long and difficult journey at sea, the immigrants’ spirits must have
been lifted by the sight of the American flag waving over Fort McHenry as they
entered Baltimore Harbor. Entry
into the city was fairly easy. Doctors and immigration officials boarded the
ships as they steamed up the Chesapeake Bay. The B&O had constructed two large
buildings at Locust Point that served as terminals for both the steamship lines
and the railroad. Upon arrival at Locust Point, the immigrants were herded into “separation pens”
and given a cursory medical inspection. Doctors checked primarily for trachoma,
a contagious eye disease, and for symptoms of serious illnesses that would
warrant a more thorough inspection and possible hospitalization or deportation.
Immigrants were then interviewed by a government agent who counted and
recorded the money the immigrant brought with him. Next, his baggage was
inspected and weighed. If the immigrant planned to remain in Baltimore, he was
placed in a final pen to await pick-up by friends or relatives as listed on his
immigration card. If the immigrant planned to travel farther west, he picked up
his pre-paid railroad ticket or purchased one, and then waited in a large
waiting room for his train. Immigrants not staying in Baltimore were not
permitted to leave the facility except to board their trains. Fortunately for
those with a long wait, the new reception center included a money changing
station and a food stand that featured familiar dishes from the homeland.
The outbreak of World War I brought an abrupt end to the Bremen-Baltimore
connection as all North German Lloyd vessels in the port of Baltimore were
confiscated by the US government upon entering the war. The immigration pier at
Locust Point burned in a mysterious fire in 1917. After the end of the war, the
North German Lloyd line had no ships, which meant no immigrants to Baltimore.
Baltimore never again served as a major port of entry for immigrants.