Description

Essentials about Liberty Island in brief

Liberty Island is probably the most famous island in the entire United States of America. This is, of course, due to the fact that the small uninhabited island in Upper New York Bay is the site of the Statue of Liberty. Liberty Island is located 600 meters off the coast of New Jersey and is 2.6 kilometers from Manhattan. The island is part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and is now managed by the National Park Service.

The history of Liberty Island

Liberty Island can look back on an extremely eventful history. Before the arrival of European settlers in the 17th century, the island was the territory of the Mohegan tribe of Indians. Under Dutch rule, the island became the property of Isaack Bedloo, a merchant from Calais in northern France, whose name it bore until the 20th century. After Bedloo’s death, the island was resold by his heirs to private individuals and used as a quarantine station. Archibald Kennedy bought it in 1746 with the intention of using it as a summer resort. This is where the name Kennedy’s Island came from. At the government’s insistence, a lighthouse was built on it instead. Beginning in 1756, the island was again used as a quarantine station. Kennedy eventually sold it to New York City, which built a hospital on it. In the years that followed, it was leased to various people for different periods of time.

During the American War of Independence, the island was captured by the British in 1776 and served as a refuge for supporters of the British party. During the troubles, the buildings on the island were set on fire by rebels for this reason. After the war, the area fell to New York State, and a hospital was again built in the 1780s. In addition, the island was known as a suitable area to fish for oysters. During this time, the island was also lent to France for three years in 1793.

Bedloe’s Island was entrusted to the State of New York in 1796, but by 1800 the island was finally given to the federal government of the United States. It decided to build defenses on Bedloe’s Island, as well as on neighboring Governors Island and Ellis Island, to protect New York Harbor. Thus, between 1806 and 1811, Fort Wood was built and manned in 1812 during the British-American War. For more than fifty years, the island was a military zone. Charles Gibbs, the last pirate hanged in the United States, went to the gallows on Bedloe’s Island in 1831.

In 1877, Bedloe’s Island finally got its current purpose – the island was chosen as the site for the Statue of Liberty because of its prominent location in the middle of New York City Harbor. On October 28, 1886, the statue was unveiled. It was not until 1944 that the fort was finally closed and completely demolished in 1948. In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower finally had the island renamed Liberty Island. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the island has been guarded around the clock by units of the United States Coast Guard.

Website

nps.gov/stli

Opening hours

Opening hours end May – beginning of Sep.:

Admission fees

Adults: $18.50

Seniors (Ages 63+): $14.00

Children (Ages 4 – 12): $9.00

Small children (Ages 3 and under): free

The prices refer to the ferry transfer to Liberty Island. Access to Liberty Island is free. A visit to the Statue of Liberty Crown costs an extra $3.00 and requires a reservation.

Address

Getting there

By public transport:

Ferry line: Ferries run from The Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan and from Liberty State Park in Jersey City. Round trips include Liberty Island and Ellis Island.

By car:

Inaccessible.