NEW YORK CITY ( PIX11 ) – Ellis Island, first an immigration hub and now a historic archive, will now be transformed once again and its museum expanded to include millions more familial records, organizers announced Thursday.
Millions of visitors will be able to learn about their families ‘ history, including when they first arrived in the country and where they went when 154 million searchable documents from US ports of entry are added to the Ellis Island National Immigration Museum’s database, which will more than double in size.  ,
It’s part of a full renovation and expansion, kicking off in 2024, that will preserve the 125- year- old historical landmark and add multimedia exhibits, fresh open spaces and guided tours to the museum.  ,
The personal journey of discovering and connecting with family history has long been at the center of the Ellis Island practice, according to a member of the task, which is a partnership between the Statue of Liberty- Ellis Island Foundation, National Park Service, and Ellis Island. The expanded Records Discovery Center may enable thousands more to take part in this ancestral research.
In the fresh exhibition space, visitors will get a three- account journey through emigration before, during and after Ellis Island’s operation from 1892 to 1954. The experience may contain artifacts, maps, models, murals, films and combined- media and short-term exhibitions. Self-guided trips for people of all ages are included with readers ‘ boat tickets.  ,
The$ 100 million project is expected to be complete in 2026, organizers said.
According to John Piltzecker, director of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island,” Ellis Island was the doorway to the British Dream for thousands of immigrants looking for a better life in the United States for themselves and their heirs.”
And in the monument’s “discovery middle”, soon to get larger with new displays and technologies, visitors can leaf through thousands of documents to get their family history.  ,
What can you get it?
The Ellis Island Museum now has over 65 million Port of New York arrival records from 1820 to 1957, which may encompass a woman’s name, time, date of introduction, ship name, birthplace, previous residence and ultimate destination.
The archives also include lists of what was on ships arriving, detention records, images, and plane arrival information from the 1930s to 1950s which includes similar identifying information.  ,
The Ellis Island Museum has access to the database online and at the physical location.
