Just about anywhere there was a port, there was a passenger disembarking: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Texas, Louisiana (many people went to New Orleans and then continued up the Mississippi River, disembarking at any port along the way, such as St. Louis, Missouri). Other states where they landed were Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, North Carolina, South Carolina, San Francisco, Los Angeles, etc. A lot of people immigrated through Canada and entered the United States from there. As for New York... WHERE immigrants landed depended on WHEN they arrived: Before August 1855 = Wharfs of Manhattan August 1, 1855 thru April 18, 1890 = Castle Garden April 19, 1890 thru December 31, 1891 = Barge Office January 1, 1892 thru June 13, 1897 = Ellis Island (this structure burned and many records were lost in the fire, including records of people who had arrived thru the Barge Office). June 14, 1897 thru December 16, 1900 = Barge Office December 17, 1900 thru 1924 = Ellis Island Here are some links for searchings passenger lists: http://home.att.net/~wee-monster/index.html (This site has a link to access info about the rest of the Germans to America texts www.ellisislandrecords.org http://www.cimorelli.com/safe/shipmenu.htm (Magellan section is great.) http://distantcousin.com/Links/ships/ http://istg.rootsweb.com/ http://www.theshipslist.com/index.html http://olivetreegenealogy.com/ships/search_ships.shtml http://khuish.tripod.com/ships.htm Another good place to check is www.archives.gov which is the site for National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). You can click on the search box and choose "genealogy". You will have access to the government microfilmed holdings. Requesting searches and ordering information is fairly simple. I hope this information helps you in some small way. Sandra in Oregon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Susan" <csds@lsol.net> To: <CASTLE-GARDEN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, September 23, 2002 10:13 AM Subject: [CASTLE-GARDEN] prior to Castle Garden Can anyone tell me prior to Castle Garden, where were immigrants admitted? Was there a special harbor or place to go to? thanks