Castle Clinton National Monument

Constructed to help defend New York Harbor, Castle Clinton National Monument has been many things-an opera house and theater, a restaurant, an immigrant landing depot and an aquarium. Today, programs and tours led by National Park Service Rangers as well as costumed interpreters help bring the history of Castle Clinton to visitors.

At the southern tip of Battery Park stands an old fort called Castle Clinton National Monument. Built between 1808 and 1811 to defend New York Harbor, the circular fort eventually became the city’s first immigration center. Today Castle Clinton is the place to purchase tickets for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferry, and a small museum exhibits the site’s storied history.

More than a dozen forts were built to defend New York Harbor at the time of the War of 1812. The Southwest Battery was constructed on the rocks off the tip of Manhattan Island between 1808 and 1811. Although fully armed and staffed, the fort never had occasion to fire upon an enemy. In 1817, the fort was renamed Castle Clinton in honor of DeWitt Clinton, Mayor of New York City. The army vacated...

Located at the southern tip of Manhattan Island, Castle Clinton stands where New York City began.

This monument is an historic Fort built from 1807 - 1811.