Today about 40% of the US population can trace their ancestry through Ellis Island, according to the National Park Service. A group of recently arrived immigrants carry their belongings on Ellis Island in the early 1900s. Courtesy Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island FoundationAfter decades of disrepair, a new museum was bornThe brick building that currently houses the museum opened in 1900. After processing more than 12 million immigrants, Ellis Island closed its doors in 1954 and fell into disrepair for decades. “Right now, it can feel in places like a book on the walls, because it’s a 34-year-old museum,” Brackenbury says.

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