Ellis Island is a small island in New York Bay.  It is in the waters owned by New Jersey, but it is governed by the state of New York.  The island was owned by Samuel Ellis in the 1770s.  In 1808 the United States government purchased it from New York State.  During the War of 1812 it was used as a fort.

In 1891 the federal government created the Immigration Bureau and immigrants coming to the United States had to come through Ellis Island.  The island was used as an immigration center until 1954 and in the busiest years over one million immigrants traveled through Ellis Island.  In 1965 President Lyndon Johnson made Ellis Island part of the Statute of Liberty National Monument.  Tourists could visit Ellis Island between 1976 and 1984.

It closed in 1984 so that it could be restored.  The Main Building was opened on September 10, 1990 and now many visitors make Ellis Island part of their trip to the Statue of Liberty.