Origins: Castle Garden

Subject: Lyr Add: Castle Garden
From: GUEST,Rick Pollay
Date: 22 Mar 21 - 03:51 PM

Castle Garden - an 19th Cent Irish emigrant’s farewell

Castle Gardens (Battery Park, NYC) was the USA Immigration Depot, 1855-1890, before Ellis Island

CASTLE GARDEN

Farewell my native countrymen, my good friends one and all,
        My lot lies in America, to either rise or fall.
I've been evicted from my home. I’ve been compelled to go.
        And leave our Sainted Ireland where the green shamrocks grow.

I owed the landlord two years rent. I wish I owed him more.
        One day the bloody Bailiff stuck a notice on our door.
My weak and widowed mother, it grieved her heart full sore,
        to leave the house my father built some sixty years ago.

She lingered for a little while. But she wearied and she died.
        With the only consolation. She sleeps by father’s side.
Both night and day for them I’ll pray, no matter where I go.
        Til I return to Ireland, where the green shamrocks grow.

For it’s hard to part with those you love. When in your heart you know
        You need the sod your father trod some sixty years ago
Well if I get to America and God spare me my health
        And if Lady Fortune favors me, I’ll be a man of wealth.

There's one I leave behind me, and it grieves me for to go
        and leave her in old Ireland. Will I ever see her more?
Sure I’ll save up my money. Back home to her I’ll go.
        And together we’ll live happy where the green shamrocks grow.

Hurray my boys the sails are set and the wind is blowing fair,
        We’ll sail for Castle Gardens. In a few weeks we'll be here.
               Or - Montreal, Quebec.
To labor for our bread and such as we are compelled to go
         From this lovely land called Ireland
         where the green shamrocks grow.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Castle Garden
From: GUEST,#
Date: 22 Mar 21 - 04:17 PM

https://www.itma.ie/inishowen/video/castle_gardens_charle_mcgonigle

https://www.itma.ie/inishowen/video/castle_gardens_charle_mcgonigle

Song done there, but some lyrics are different.

Subject: RE: Origins: Castle Garden
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Mar 21 - 06:25 PM

The Yiddish accent in particular rendered this place "Kestlegarden" and a lot of New Yorkers grew up not realizing that wasn't the actual name. People wrote home about their experiences in passing through Castle Garden and many of the later immigrants in those transition years didn't realize that Ellis Island was a different facility.

Prior to immigrant processing, Castle Garden was called the South Battery, built during the War of 1812 on pilings in the harbor out from the shore. It was named Fort Clinton in 1817.

The land around it was gradually filled in, and after it stopped being a fort a roof was put on the circular building with an open court yard and it became the theater and opera house Castle Garden. One claim to fame is that Jenny Lind made her first American appearance there. It isn't really that large of a space, but who knows - the acoustics might have been interesting.

It became the New York State immigrant processing station Castle Garden in 1855 and the state built up the site - the extra girth included adding extra stories and out buildings. After it closed to immigrant processing it eventually was turned into an aquarium that operated until 1941, when the Brooklyn-Battery tunnel was constructed beneath it and I guess a large building full of water wasn't considered a great thing to leave in place.

The National Park Service rescued and restored it to the original much smaller one story round building. Since it's there in the middle of Battery Park it's a popular meeting place, and it's where a lot of ticket and inspection activity happens for people wanting to head over to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

After 1890 when the Federal Government took over immigration processing, and until Ellis Island opened in 1892 everyone was processed at the battery at the old MIO - Marine Inspection Office, and that building is still there, standing next to the Staten Island Ferry terminal.

Far more than anyone probably needed to know about Castle Garden, but I spent a few years working in the Harbor at Ellis and the Statue of Liberty and learned the history of the region.

Subject: RE: Origins: Castle Garden
From: cnd
Date: 23 Mar 21 - 10:27 AM

That's interesting SRS, thanks for sharing