Ellis Island Immigration Station (N.Y. and N.J.)

New York; NY; USA See also: Immigration and Naturalization Service record. ENCYC. OF N.Y. CITY, Jackson, 1995, "An island in Upper New York Bay, near the coast of New Jersey. Named for Samuel Ellis, who aquired the island in 1785." Used as a fort in 1808 until becoming a federal immigration center from 1892 until 1924. Used for primarily detainment only until 1954. Named a national monument and given over to the National Park Service in 1965. Main building restored in 1984 as a museum and opened to public in 1990.