Historic Governors Island Opens to the Public

Governors Island, central to the defense of New York Harbor since the American Revolution, was opened to the public Thursday for the first time in more than 200 years.

A portion of the island was declared a national monument in January when the federal government turned the land over to joint oversight by New York City and the state of New York.

The island is half a mile from the lower tip of Manhattan.

National Park Service rangers, borrowed from the nearby Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island installations, were conducting free tours on an island that for two centuries was used solely for military purposes.

“The forts, landmark buildings and past residents of Governors Island tell the story of New York and the nation, from Colonial times to the Cold War,” said Linda Neal, the National Park Service superintendent for the monument.

Tours are scheduled to continue through the end of September, when public meetings are set to help the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corp. decide how to use the rest of the island, besides the monument.

The national monument includes Ft. Jay, started in 1794 and named for first Chief Justice John Jay, and Castle Williams, a three-tier fort built just before the War of 1812.

The island’s Admiral’s House was scene of a 1988 summit between President Reagan and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev.

During World War I, the island was a principal embarkation point for supplies sent to France, and it served as headquarters of the 1st U.S. Army during World War II.

Flight pioneer Wilbur Wright took off from the island and flew around the Statue of Liberty in 1909.

National Guard troops responding to the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were housed on the island.