Visited: July 2024
Nearby city: New York City, NY (Manhattan)
Castle Clinton (also known as Fort Clinton or Castle Garden) is a small circular sandstone fort in Battery Park, on the southern tip of Manhattan Island.
Castle Clinton was built in 1811 as part of a plan to protect New York Harbor with multiple forts. It was named for Dewitt Clinton, the long-serving mayor of New York City and would later serve as the Governor of New York. Although the War of 1812 broke out shortly after construction was completed, Castle Clinton never ended up being used for warfare. Instead, it served as an administrative headquarters for the Army.
The Army stopped using the fort in 1821. It was later transfered to the City of New York, who leased the building as a beer garden, exhibition hall, and a theater. In 1850, the famous soprano, Jenny Lind "The Swedish Nightingale," made her debut performance in the United States at Castle Clinton.
In 1855, Castle Clinton became the country's first immigration processing station. Between 1855 and 1890, over 7.5 million immigrants entered the United States at the fort.
In 1890, due to limited space at the fort and growing numbers of immigrants, processing duties were transferred to the federal government's installation on Ellis Island.
Here's the link to the post for our visit to Ellis Island:
Castle Clinton then served as the home for the New York City Aquarium from 1896 to 1941.
In February 1941, NY City Commissioners announced plans to demolish the fort to make way for a subway tunnel connecting Battery Park to Brooklyn. In response, historical associations rallied to "save the fort."
The fort was partially demolished, but ultimately, the preservation efforts were successful. In 1946, US Congress and the New York State Assembly passed legislation to cede Castle Clinton back to the federal government. The fort was officially designated as a National Monument on October 24, 1950.
Castle Clinton is in the heart of downtown Manhattan
There are a few exhibits/interpretive signs at the fort. However, at this point, Castle Clinton's primary function is the location to buy/pick-up tickets for the ferry to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
For more info on Castle Clinton: https://www.nps.gov/cacl/index.htm
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