Ellis Island Museum

Today, the enormous arched windows and immense open spaces of the Registry Room evoke a feeling of grandeur. For the immigrants, however, the room was often a loud, confusing and frightening place. Nearly every day, for over two decades (1900-1924) the Registry Room was filled with new arrivals waiting to be inspected and registered by Immigration Service officers. On many days, over 5,000 people would file through the space. For most immigrants, this great hall epitomized Ellis Island. It was here that immigrants underwent medical and legal examinations. Here they encountered the complex demands of the immigration laws and an American bureaucracy that could either grant or withhold permission to land in the United States.

Located in the "Through America's Gate" exhibit, the "Hearing Room," has been restored to look as it did around 1911, during the period when it served as a Board of Special Inquiry hearing room. About 10% of the persons arriving at Ellis Island were held for a legal hearing.

The exhibits in the west wing on the second floor of the museum describe step-by-step what most new arrivals experienced on Ellis Island, the federal government's first immigrant inspection depot. Ellis Island's main function was to screen out those considered undesirable – the incurably ill, the impoverished, the disabled, criminals, and all others barred by the immigration laws of the United States.

The exhibits in the east wing on the second floor of the museum explore immigration to the United States during the period from 1880 to 1924. The late 19th century and early 20th centuries saw the largest migrations of people in world history. Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, and Canada were all popular destinations, but the majority of immigrants chose the United States. Between 1880 and 1924, the peak immigration years, over 26 million people entered the country.