Castle Clinton imagery

Castle Clinton

An historic fort with nine lives at The Battery in Lower Manhattan

THINGS TO DO

EXHIBITS: A museum gallery offers dioramas representing each period in the evolution of the Castle and Lower Manhattan from 1811 to 1940.

TOURS: Tours of the Castle are offered by National Park Rangers. Costumed interpretive programs depict the soldiers stationed there during the War of 1812. Upcoming Events: Free concerts are offered every Thursday evening during the summer. Tickets: Ferry tickets for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

WEBSITE: A public database, at castlegarden.org, hosts 10 million records of ship manifests from the period when Castle Clinton served as an immigration center.

With war looming in the 1790s, Congress authorized an ambitious harbor defense construction program to protect the Atlantic seaports. Castle Clinton, named for New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, was designed to complement Castle Williams, located on Governor's Island, in defense of Manhattan. The fort was never tested in battle and, in 1824, was turned over the New York City for use as an entertainment and recreation site. In the 19th century, such places were called "gardens" (we still know of Madison Square Garden) and the Castle became known as "Castle Garden." Important events included the triumphal return of the Marquis de Lafayette to American in 1824 and the debut of opera diva Jenny Lind in 1850.

Castle Garden became the first official immigrant reception station in New York in 1855, with almost 8 million new Americans passing through until 1890 when it closed and was replaced by Ellis Island. In 1896, it re-opened as the New York Aquarium, which closed in 1941. In 1946, Castle Clinton National Monument was authorized. Earlier modifications were removed and the appearance of the site was returned to that of the original fort.