DOCUMENT RESUME ED 278 589 SO 017 759 AUTHOR Blumberg, Barbara TITLE Celebrating the Immigrant: An Administrative History of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, 1952-1982. Cultural Resource Management Study 10. INSTITUTION National Park Service (Dept. of Interior), Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 85 NOTE 209p.; Photographs may not reproduce clearly. PUB TYPE Books (010) -- Historical Materials (060) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC09 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Historiography; *Immigrants; Instructional Materials; *Museums; Primary Sources; *United States History IDENTIFIERS *Ellis Island; *Statue of Liberty ABSTRACT This book focuses on the history of the Statue of Liberty National Monument from 1952 through 1982. It describes how the monument has come to symbolize an expanding set of ideals, how the symbolism has produced responses in various groups of people ranging from celebrations to physical attacks upon the Statue, and the manner in which the monument is administered and maintained. This study includes accounts of the conception, financing, and development of the American Museum of Immigration, as well as the history of the incorporation of Ellis Island in the monument. The book contains eight chapters: (1) "The Statue of Liberty: Monument to an Expanding Set of Ideals"; (2) "A Project Is Pr.....posed and Financed"; (3) "The American Museum of Immigration Takes Shape"; (4) "The First Decade of the American Museum of Immigration, 1972-1982"; (5) "What Shall We Do With Ellis Island? 1954-1965"; (6) "The Years of Neglect and Deterioration, 1965-1976"; (7) "The Search for Consensus and Funding Continues, 1976-1980"; and (8) "Preparing for the Centennials of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island." Included are appendices giving annual visitation figures and names of monument supervisors, notes on sources, seven figures, and 10 full page black and white photographs. (KWL) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** CELEBRATING THE IMMIGRANT co, AN ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY NATIONAL MONUMENT U S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION 19521982 CENTER (ERIC) Vhisdocument has been reproduced as received from Ihe person or organization originating a O Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT STUDY NO.10 Points of view or opinionsstated in thisdocu, ment do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy DIVISION OF CULTURAL RESOURCES NORTH ATLANTIC REGIONAL OFFICE NATIONAL PARK SER VICE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE REPORTS OF THE DIVISION OF CULTURAL RESOURCES North Atlantic Regional Office, National Park Service The Division produces and prints reportson archeological, curatorial, his- torical, And historic architectural topics that identify,evaluate, document, and interpret cultural resources in National Park Service unitsof the North Atlantic Region. Some of these reports are of general interest for their presentations of substantive,bibliographic, technical, or methodolosical information. These are listed below. Those that are listed with an NTIS number are only available from the National Technical Informationservice, 5285 Port Royal Road,Springfield, VA 22151. Others are availW1 from the Division of Cultural Resources, NARO, NationalPark Service, State Street,Boston, MA02109. Prices are listed. Cultural Resources Management Studies No.1 Archeological Resource Study, Roger Williams National NTIS PB81 185134 Monument. Public Archaeology Laboratory, Brown University, 1979. No.2 Archeo1ogicz1 Overview and Evaluation at Minute Man NTIF PB81 185142 National HistArical Park.Vernon G. Baker, 1980 No.3 Historic Resources Study, Jamaica Bay: A History. $4.00 Gateway National Recreation Area, New York-New Jersey. Frederick R. Black, 1981. No.4 Archeological site Examination:A Case Study in Urban 6.00 Archeology. Roger Williams National Monument. Patricia E. Rutertone and Joan Gallagher, 1981. No.5 Archeological Resource Study, Historical Archeologyat NTIS PB83 186957 Bunker Hill Monument. Boston National Historical Park. Thomas Mahlstedt, 1981. No,6 Archeological Investigation at the Narbonne House. 7.00 Cal.":m Maritime National Historic Site. Geoffrey P. Moran, Edward F. Zimmer, Anne E. Yentsch, 1982. No. 7 Historic Resource Study, A History of Fort Wadsworth, 4.00 New York Harbor. Frederick R. Black, 1983. No.8 Chapters in the Archeology of Cape Cod, I. Results of 7.50Volume 1 the Cape Cod National Seashore Archeological Surv.fT, 9.00Volume 2 1979-1981 (2 volumes). Francis P. McManamon, editor, 15.00Both Volumes 1984. No.9 The National Park Service in the Northeast: A Alltural 7.00 Resource Management Bibliography.Dwight T. Pitcaithley, 1984 (continued on inside back c wer) 3 CELEBRATING THE IMMIGRANT AN ADMINISTRATIVEHISTORY OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTYNATIONAL MONUMENT 19521982 BARBARA BLUMBERG THE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH INHISTORY 432 PARK AVENUE SOUTH NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10016 (212) 689-1931 1985 CULTURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENTSTUDY NO. 10 DIVISION OF CULTURAL RESOURCES NORTH ATLANTIC REGIONAL OFFICE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 4 Cover photograph by John Veltri, courtesy of Newsweek Books CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INTRODUCTION 1 1. THE STATUE OF LIBERTY: MONUMENT TO AN EXPANDING SET OF IDEALS 9 2. A PROJECT IS PROPOSED AND FINANCED 28 3. THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF IMMIGRATION TAKES SHAPE 51 4. THE FIRST DECADE OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF IMMIGRATION, 1972 - 1982 82 5. WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH ELLIS ISLAND? 1954 - 1965 95 6. THE YEARS OF NEGLECT AND DETERIORATION, 1965 - 1976 108 7. THE SEARCH FOR CONSENSUS AND FUNDING CONTINUES, 1976 1980 129 8. PREPARING FOR THE CENTENNIALS OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY AND ELLIS ISLAND 138 APPENDIXES 149 A. Supervisors of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, 1952 - 1982 150 B. Annual Visitation figures for the Statue of Liberty National Monument 151 C. Annual Visitation to Ellis Island 152 NOTE ON SOURCES 153 FIGURES ILLUSTRATIONS 0r> ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank a number of persons who have played key roles in enabling me to research and write this history. William Zeisel, of The Institute for Research in History, served as project director, handling all of the administrative details involved in this undertaking. He did much else besides. He helped me sort through volum- inous National Park Service and American Museum of Immigration, Inc., records, contacted and interviewed persons who could supply vital information, and improved my work with his intelligent comments and suggestions. Esther Katz and Deborah Gardner, both of the Institute, provided many helpful suggestions and editorial comments. David L. Moffitt, superintendent, Statue of Liberty National Monument, Paul Kinney, curator, American Museum of Immigration, and Marilyn Keeler, former administrative officer, STLI NM, all generously gave their time to answer questions, share memories, and help me find important documents. Paul O. Weinbaum and Edward Kallop, Jr., both former curators at Liberty Island, have replied to my written questions, supplied needed information to William Zeisel over the telephone, and read earlier drafts of this work, on which they have made essential corrections, revisions, and additions. I also appreciate the written comments and corrections of George A. Palmer, retired assistant regional director of the old Region 5 office of the NPS. Dwight T. Pitcaithley, regional historian, North Atlantic Region, NPS, has assisted William Zeisel and me in countless ways. He has been the person with whom we have worked most closely in the NPS. He has located records for us and facilitated our contacts with other members of the NPS. Finally, I would like to thank my husband, Alan L. Krumholz, and my son Mark, who encouraged me and who good-naturedly put up with the many hours I was away researching at Liberty Island or sitting at the type- writer. INTRODUCTION Two small islands located side by side in New York harbor contain the Statue of Liberty National Monument. On Liberty Island stands the colossal statue which the French people gave as a gift to the United States for its one hundredth birthday. Within the base of the statue is the American Museum of Immigration, containing exhibits depicting the course of immigration to this nation and the resulting cultural heterogeneity of its population. Nearby, lies Ellis Island, the site of the first federal immigration station, through which some twelve million persons entered the country between 1892 and 1954 and at which others were detained and eventually deported. The Statue of Liberty National Monument is unique in that it does not commemorate a particular historic event or personage, but rather celebrates a set of ideas. Originally conceived as a joint memorial to the hi.storic friendship and alliance between France and the U'lited States, forged during the American Revolution, the Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World became first and fore most the symbol of the human ideals of liberty and free dom shared by the two sister republics. The statue stood for a second idea as well, although in the period from its erection in 1886 to 1952, this second theme received less attention: namely, the role of the monument as "Mother of Exiles," beacon of hope, opportunity and a new life to millions of immigrants