National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Finding Aid Castle Clinton National Monument Administrative Records, 1765-1994 Catalog Number CACL-282 National Park Service Manhattan Sites Castle Clinton National Monument Tobi K. Adler June 2012 This finding aid may be accessed electronically from the National Park Service Manhattan Historic Sites Archive http://www.mhsarchive.org Processing was funded by a generous donation from the Leon Levy Foundation to the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy. Finding Aid Castle Clinton National Monument Administrative Records – Catalog Number CACL-282 Page 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….1 COPYRIGHT AND RESTRICTIONS……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...4 PROVENANCE NOTE….....…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………5 HISTORICAL NOTE…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...6 SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….11 ARRANGEMENT NOTE……………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………..12 SERIES OUTLINE …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….12 SERIES NOTES AND CONTENTS LIST….……………………………………………………………………………………………………13 RELATED MATERIALS NOTE……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………25 SELECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..25 ADDED ENTRIES……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….26 SUMMARY National Park Service: Manhattan Sites Finding Aid Castle Clinton National Monument Administrative Records – Catalog Number CACL-282 Page 2 Creator: United States. National Park Service Title: Castle Clinton National Monument Administrative Records Dates: 1765-1994 Extent: 8.2 linear feet (8 document boxes, 3 flat boxes, 1 microfilm box, 2 roll boxes, 2 map drawers) National Park Service Accession Number: CACL-00075 National Park Service Catalog Number: CACL 282 Historical Statement: Castle Clinton, originally named West Battery, was constructed between 1807 and 1811, 200 feet off the coast of Lower Manhattan, as one of a group of fortifications meant to protect New York Harbor due to tensions with Great Britain. The port was never attacked during the War of 1812 and the army turned the fort over to New York City in 1823. Reopened as Castle Garden in 1824, the structure was used as a promenade, concert hall and entertainment center until 1854. Through the years, Castle Garden hosted political figures, opera companies, singers, scientists and celebrities. In 1855, the New York State Commissioners of Emigration purchased the lease for Castle Garden and opened it as a landing station for new immigrants. In 1890, the Federal Government took over immigration processing and moved the reception center to Ellis Island. The New York Aquarium opened in the former fort in 1896, free to the public. The New York City Parks Department, under Robert Moses, closed the aquarium in 1941. After threatening demolition of the structure, Moses faced a group of civic-minded individuals and preservationist organizations who fought to save the historic site. In 1946, President Truman signed the bill creating Castle Clinton National Monument. In 1949, Castle Clinton and the land underneath were ceded to the Federal Government by New York City with permission from the New York State Legislature and the site officially became Castle Clinton National Monument. Scope and Content Statement: The Castle Clinton National Monument Administrative Records detail the history of the site from the earliest planning of New York fortifications to its creation and management as a national park. The collection includes papers documenting the work of civic groups and preservation- minded private citizens to rescue Castle Clinton from destruction. These administrative records detail the efforts of the National Park Service, over three decades, to rehabilitate and recreate Castle Clinton as the original 1812 fort, while building and maintaining interpretive exhibits that would demonstrate all the stages of the site’s 140-year history. The records include correspondence, memoranda, telegrams, reports, speeches, newspaper clippings, legislation, transcripts of court papers, photostats, photocopies, brochures, signs, renderings, kits, flyers, posters, programs, news releases, photographs, proposals, aperture cards, bid specifications, forms, technical guides, plans, drawings, maps, an engraving reproduction, a proclamation and incorporation papers. Processing Information: National Park Service: Manhattan Sites Finding Aid Castle Clinton National Monument Administrative Records – Catalog Number CACL-282 Page 3 This collection was processed as part of the Manhattan Sites Archives Project in 2012 by Project Archivist, Tobi K. Adler, with the assistance of Lead Archivist, Mimi Bowling. Funding Source: Processing of this collection was made possible by a generous donation from the Leon Levy Foundation to the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy. Contact Information: Chief of Cultural Resources, National Park Service, Manhattan Sites Federal Hall National Memorial 26 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005 (212) 825-6883 National Park Service: Manhattan Sites Finding Aid Castle Clinton National Monument Administrative Records – Catalog Number CACL-282 Page 4 COPYRIGHT AND RESTRICTIONS The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials. The various state privacy acts govern the use of materials that document private individuals, groups, and corporations. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a reproduction if the document does not infringe the privacy rights of an individual, group, or corporation. These specified conditions of authorized use include: • non-commercial and non-profit study, scholarship, or research, or teaching • criticism, commentary, or news reporting • as a NPS preservation or security copy • as a research copy for deposit in another institution If a user later uses a copy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," the user may be personally liable for copyright, privacy, or publicity infringement. This institution's permission to obtain a photographic, xerographic, digital, or other copy of a document doesn't indicate permission to publish, exhibit, perform, reproduce, sell, distribute, or prepare derivative works from this document without first obtaining permission from the copyright holder and from any private individual, group, or corporation shown or otherwise recorded. Permission to publish, exhibit, perform, reproduce, prepare derivative works from, sell, or otherwise distribute the item must be obtained by the user separately in writing from the holder of the original copyright (or if the creator is dead from his/her heirs) as well as from any individual(s), groups, or corporations whose name, image, recorded words, or private information (e.g., employment information) may be reproduced in the source material. The holder of the original copyright isn't necessarily the National Park Service. The National Park Service is not legally liable for copyright, privacy, or publicity infringement when materials are wrongfully used after being provided to researchers for "fair use." This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if fulfillment of the order is judged in violation of copyright or federal or state privacy or publicity law. National Park Service: Manhattan Sites Finding Aid Castle Clinton National Monument Administrative Records – Catalog Number CACL-282 Page 5 PROVENANCE NOTE The records that form this collection comprise part of Accession CACL-00075, currently located at Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island, New York. These records were discovered in the curatorial office and the collection/library area of Manhattan Sites, located at Federal Hall, in 1990. They were accessioned in 1991. The files were originally housed in two record cartons and two map drawers. National Park Service: Manhattan Sites Finding Aid Castle Clinton National Monument Administrative Records – Catalog Number CACL-282 Page 6 HISTORICAL NOTE Castle Clinton was originally conceived in 1807 as one of a group of fortifications meant to protect New York Harbor as tension increased between Great Britain and the United States over various issues including the impressment of American sailors. New York City, with legislation passed by the state legislature, ceded underwater lots off the tip of Manhattan for the creation of the new battery. Called the West Battery, the fort was located approximately 200 feet off the coast on a man-made platform. The planning and construction of the West Battery was entrusted to Colonel Jonathan Williams of the Army Corps of Engineers. Williams began construction of the off-shore battery in 1808.1 He originally envisioned a two-tier fort attached to the old Battery on the tip of Manhattan by a bridge. But the building of the artificial island in the deep water off the coast of the Battery took longer and cost more than expected. Secretary of War Henry Dearborn, appointed by President Thomas Jefferson and then Secretary of War William Eustis, appointed by President James Madison concluded that a single story battery would be cheaper. At some point, John McComb, Jr. an architect known for the design of New York City’s City Hall and of Alexander Hamilton’s home, The Grange, collaborated in the design and construction of the West Battery, especially the entryway or sallyport to the new fort.2