Castle Garden and Battery Park, New York (Images of America Series) »

Barry Moreno, who has previously published articles on Castle Garden, works in the Museum Services Division at the Statue of Liberty National Monument. His other works in the Images of America series include Ellis Island, The Statue of Liberty, Children of Ellis Island, and Manhattan Street Scenes.

Few buildings in Manhattan have had a richer and more varied life than 200-year-old Castle Clinton, the magnificent red sandstone structure that lies in historic Battery Park. Although originally built as a fortress just before the outbreak of the War of 1812, its actual fame rests on the years when it was known worldwide as Castle Garden, a name that underlined its intimate connection with the surrounding park. Under that name, it served successively as Manhattan s preeminent public events hall and theater (1824-1855), then as America s first great landing place for millions of immigrants (1855-1890), and finally as the oldest and grandest municipal aquarium in the United States (1896-1941). Castle Garden and Battery Park invites readers to step back in time and dip into this legendary monument s dramatic story and learn how it has managed to survive into the 21st century.

Acknowledgments     6
Introduction     7
Chronology     8
The Battery     9
Glorious Castle Garden     15
European Mass Migration     35
The Immigrant Gateway     45
Settlers and Homesteaders     77
Castle Garden's Legacy     89
The New York Aquarium     105
The Survivor     121
Castle Garden's Hall of Fame     124
Bibliography     125
Index     126