Arrival in the New World!
‘Stepping ashore’ on the hallowed tip of Manhattan at Castle Clinton in Battery Park was the first stage in my re-enactment of the Swedish pioneer journey.
But I was not alone in appreciating the significance and meaning of this spot in terms of American history and identity.
The Immigrants Statue
“Sculptor Luis Sanguino (b. 1934) celebrates the diversity of New York City and the struggle of immigrants in this heroic-sized bronze figural group. The sculpture depicts figures of various ethnic groups and eras, including an Eastern European Jew, a freed African slave, a priest, and a worker. The figures’ expressive poses emphasise the struggle and toil inherent in the experience of the immigrant or dislocated person.The sculpture is located at the south end of the Eisenhower Mall in Battery Park near Castle Clinton, which served as a processing facility for newly arrived immigrants from 1855 to 1890, when construction began on a larger, more remote facility at nearby Ellis Island. ” This text is part of National Parks’ Historical SignsProject
https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/battery-park/monuments/765
