9781422287460

12 Ellis Island: The Story of a Gateway to America

prepared to drop anchors, each carrying hundreds of immigrants. Soon, the John E. Moore , a small transfer boat, came alongside the Nevada and 148 passengers from the steamship went aboard for a short cruise to a dock on the southern tip of Ellis Island, where the United States government was opening a new immigra- tion center. The passengers who had crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the Nevada would be the first immigrants to be processed at Ellis Island. Today, there are two statues of Annie Moore and her brothers. One statue stands on Deepwater Quay in County Cork, Ireland.The other statue of Annie was erected on Ellis Island. It was molded in bronze by the artist Jeanne Rynhart. It depicts the fresh-faced girl from Ireland, one hand on her hat to hold it in place while she lifts her head to see the sights of NewYork Harbor, the other hand grasping the small suit- case that held the few possessions an immigrant could take aboard ship as she prepared to begin a new life in a far-off land.