Of Rags and Riches Novella Research: Immigration Before Ellis Island ~ Castle Garden

I've got a history article up on the Heroes, Heroines, and History website, and I wanted to share it with y'all!

Here is a snippet:

While researching for my upcoming novella, I discovered Ellis Island didn’t open until January 1, 1892. What did immigrants do before then? My Polish-born heroine travels to New York in 1885.

Though I knew my plot and set word count wouldn’t allow me to chronicle her voyage and entrance into the country, I wanted to research those experiences in order to fully understand her character. Plus, I couldn’t have her arriving at Ellis Island seven years before it opened. Stranded on an island—mercy, where would the dear girl have gone?

Enter Castle Garden: fort, concert hall, immigration station, and, eventually, aquarium.

Castle Garden in its first form was called the West Battery, and eventually became the first official place used by the government to process immigrants in New York.

Its presence prevented any attack on New York during the War of 1812 without ever firing a shot. In 1815, the fort was...

Click HERE to go to the Heroes, Heroines, and History blog and read the rest! Pssst! There's a giveaway going on over there, so be sure to enter!