Castle Clinton National Monument

Castle Clinton is a circular sandstone fort located inside Battery Park, at the southern end of Manhattan. It's not one of the country's most well-known national monuments, but it has an interesting history. 

Mom and I arrived at Castle Clinton National Monument on a brisk winter morning in New York City. Our plan for the day was to visit Liberty Island and Ellis Island, and to do that, we had to pick up our boat tickets from the National Park Service counter inside Castle Clinton.

Built between 1808 and 1811, the small fort was originally constructed as a defensive fortification to protect New York Harbor from British invasion during the War of 1812. From 1855 and 1890, Castle Clinton served as an immigration center, predating Ellis Island, and was the gateway to the United States for more than 7.5 million people.

We didn't get much time at Castle Clinton, but it was cool to see a new national monument and collect another stamp in our national park passports.

After picking up our tickets, which were good for the boat trips between Battery Park, Liberty Island, and Ellis Island, we made our way through the snow-covered park to the ferry docks.

After going through security, we boarded the ferry and were soon on our way to the Statue of Liberty!