Statue of Liberty
Located on 12-acre Liberty Island in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty was a gift of international friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is one of the most universal symbols of political freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886 and was designated a National Monument on October 15, 1924.
On the tenth night out of Bremerhaven, Germany, the General Taylor pulled into New York Harbor and anchored. Jim walked to the bow of the ship and saw the Statue of Liberty illuminated in the distance. He stood quietly and stared in awe. He knew the history of the symbol of freedom which France had presented to the United States as a gift. In his mind and partly whispering, Jim asked, "What do you hold for our future, Beautiful Lady?" Then he thought, "After five years in America, you will be mine and I will be yours." He regarded the five-year period required by American law for immigrants to become naturalized citizens as a period of probation. He wondered whether he would last through it.
In Memory
Of Jim W. Fras
May 15,
1925 - September 9, 2002
The Next Chapter -
page six
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Ellis Island
Ellis Island was
incorporated as part of the
Statue of Liberty National Monument on May 11, 1965. Between
1892 and 1954, approximately 12 million steerage and third class
steamship passengers, who entered the United States through the port of
New York, were legally and medically inspected at Ellis Island. Reopened
on September 10, 1990 after a massive restoration, the Main Building on
Ellis Island is now a museum dedicated to the history of immigration and
the important role this island claimed during the mass migration of
humanity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.