Castle Clinton National Monument

Castle Clinton National Monument is the last of a series of forts that guarded lower Manhattan from the time of the Dutch settlement of 1624. Built by the United States between 1808 and 1811, it was first called West Battery and was one of the important defenses of New York Harbor during the War of 1812 period. Named in honor of Gov. DeWitt Clinton in 1815, it became headquarters of the U.S. Third Military District that year, and from 1816 to 1820 Gen. Winfield Scott was in command before the headquarters moved to Governors Island in 1820. Ceded to New York City in 1823, it was renamed Castled Garden in 1824 and until 1855 served as a public center and theater where figures including lafayette, Kossuth, and President Jackson were received and artists such as Jenny Lind appeared. From 1855 to 1890 it was the nation's principal immigrant depot, with over 7 million immigrants entering its portals as the Gateway to the New World. Between 1896 and 1941 the old structure served as the New York City Acquarium, and it became a national monument in 1950.

New York, New York · United States