SNIPPET: NY's Castle Garden welcomed some eight million immigrants between 1855-1890, six million of whom were German or Irish. If you believe your ancestors came through Ellis Island before 1892, chances are they actually came through Castle Gardens. During the 1880s, almost 70% of all immigrants to America were received at Castle Gardens. Passenger arrival indexes do not exist for these years. To find the ship manifests, you will need to know the approximate date of arrival, per article in "Family Chronicle" magazine Jan-Feb 2000. Microfilms of the manifests (Customs Passengers Lists) are available through the National Archives and the Church of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) Family History Library. Walt WHITMAN, born on Long Island in 1819, considered one of the most important chroniclers of life in America (and NY, in particular) penned these famous lines: "I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear/Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong/The carpenter singing his as he measures his lank or beam/The mason singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck/The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands/The wood-cutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown/The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing/Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else/The day what belongs to the day - at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly/Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs." The story of Castle Garden is the story of a site's constant transformation to serve NY's needs. At the lower tip of Manhattan there was once an island that was eventually joined to the mainland by landfill Between 1807 and 1811 a circular fort was built there by the federal government in preparation for the coming war with England. This became known as the Southwest Battery. It was renamed Castle Clinton in 1815 after DeWitt CLINTON, the first governor of NY, whose grandfather, Charles CLINTON, an immigrant from Co. Longford, had emerged as a prosperous merchant. (It is noted that not all Irish in colonial America arrived as penniless servants and stayed that way - some became notable merchants and entrepreneurs, and in one particular area where Irishmen achieved prominence was in journalism, establishing leading newspapers). Dubbed Castle Garden because of the new flower and shrubs that graced the grounds, the fort was repurposed into a place for entertainment, including concerts and fireworks. In 1839, entrepreneurs, Philip FRENCH and Christopher HEISER, leased the site to make Castle Garden into a grand, large-scale entertainment center. They installed a stage and new floor in a room that would now hold 6,000 seats arranged in a huge semi-circle. Under their management, Castle Garden became a renowned amusement hall and opera house. It was here that Swedish songstress Jenny LIND made her American debut in 1850. But when the lease expired in 1854, it opened the door for Castle Garden to take on yet another purpose. While New Yorkers were coming to Castle Garden to see light operas and ballets, etc., the Commissioners of Emigration were faced with the growing challenge of handling thousands of immigrants each week at NY Harbor. With no time to erect a new building, they leased Castle Garden - much to the horror of the local residents. On 1 August 1855, it opened its doors as America's first receiving station for immigrants. Refreshment rooms were replaced by bathrooms, the seats replaced by long wooden benches so immigrants could find the desks marked Registry, General Information, Exchange Office and Railroad Department. The stage was gone; now an iron staircase led to the Office of Commissioners of Emigration, General Agent and Superintendent. Compared to earlier immigrants arriving in NY, those who were received at Castle Garden had a more pleasant experience. Due to an enclosure, immigrants now had some protective from unsavory characters laying in wait. Said a "New York Times" article in 1874, "Castle Garden is so well known in Europe that few emigrants can be induced to sail for any other destination. Their friends in this country write to those who are intending to emigrate to come to Castle Garden where they will be safe, and, if out of money, they can remain until it is sent to them. Complaints are frequently received by the commissioners from emigrants who have been landing at Halifax or Boston though they were promised to be brought to New York." New federal legislation passed in 1855 helped immigrants on board ships. There were now new rules governing how much space a passenger was allowed, the proportion of passengers to tonnage, degree of cleanliness, ventilation, and food and cooking provisions. Each ship was now required to supply a complete manifest of passengers to the local customs officials, eventually making its way to the federal government. Coming to America was still difficult, however. Old sailing ships were still in use which made it virtually impossible to calculate the number of weeks it would take to make a crossing. Passengers complained of conditions and deaths were not unheard of. As well, the Commissioners of Emigration had fallen deeply into debt as a result of an 1875 Supreme Court decision, declaring a NY law that required ships to post a bond or else pay a tax on each immigrant unconstitutional. Disaster struck in 1876 when fire broke out in Castle Garden. Only the old fort walls and a few outer buildings remained. Reconstruction began two months later, despite critics who wanted the site to revert back to its former elegance as a park. In a few months, ships were welcomed again. A massive wave of immigration began in the 1880s. In 1881, more that 455,000 people passed through Castle Garden. From 1880 through 1890, nearly four million immigrants came to NY. Castle Garden was functioning well beyond its capacity and complaints were numerous. Combined with similar difficulties encountered at other ports of entry, the Secretary of Treasury recommended that the federal government take over all immigration. The government's contract with NY's Commissioners of Emigration was terminated on 18 April 1890. On that day, the last immigrants from the steamers "Bohemia" and "State of Indiana" were processed at Castle Garden. The center closed its doors. The immigration center moved to Ellis Island, already owned by the government, which began its new role in 1892. From 1896 to 1941 Castle Garden served the public by housing the New York City aquarium, which later moved to Coney Island. After the Second World War the park was remodeled; and Castle Clinton became a national monument in 1950. The park is also home to a statue of Giovanni da VERRAZANO, the first European to enter New York Harbour.