The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-10-24
OLD CASTLE GARDEN.
A Magnet SIN TO the Hearts of Many
Who There First struck
the Country.

There came into the Aquarium one
day lately a man plotting two other
men, immigrants, who had just landed
at the barge Office. The pilot in the
case was years ago himself an immi-
grant; but he had landed at Castle
Garden when that historic place, now
the home of the Aquarium, was the
landing place for immigrants at this
port, says the New York Sun. He had
been waiting at the barge Office to re-
ceive his newly arrived friends, and
when they had gone through the for
malities there attending their landing
and were free to go as they pleased,
he had taken them in tow andled them
across the park and into the Aquarium.
The coming of such party is com
mon incident there. The first sight
that many and many an immigrant
sees in the country of his new home
is the Aquarium, under the guidance Of
the friend who has come to meet him
and who takes him over to Castle Gar
den TO show him where he himself
landed.
81 came ashore in this building" the
come across the sea and landed at the
barge office. He is deeply interested
in the spot, and they are interested
in it as the landing place of their
friend; and It might easily be that the
place has an interest for them of it's
own besides; that they have long
known of Castle Garden and often
heard Of it, and are glad now actually
to see it. For therelis perhaps no build
ing of modern days more widely known
around the world. In many homes, in
many foreign lands, when Castle Gar
den was the landing station here, peo-
pie heard of it from various sources,
in letters, 1t may be, from relations,
perhaps persons out of their own
households or from friends or neigh
bors who had emigrated to America,
and who wrote back in their letters:
eve landed at a spot called Castle Gar
den" and so on. Under many skies
has the name been long familiar.
And the Garden remains magnet
always FOR many of those who first
landed there, and who, when oppor-
tunity offers, come now to see it, these
being from far and near. Recently
visitor at the Aquarium, a man who
had landed at the building as an I'M
migrant asked one of the attendants
there to take him through and let him
see for himself again the place where
he had come ashore. They are accom-,
modating people at the Aquarium and
they took him through the rear of the
building, where the boilers and pumps
Of the present establishment are in
stalled, on the side toward the sea wall.
and then brought him back again, thus
gratifying his desire, which was to
pass once more through the gateway
by which, years before, he had first
entered this land.
Awhile ago there was told in the
Sun of western visitor at the Aquari-
UNI, evidently man of substance,
who had said to an attendant, in no
wise boastfully, but with all becom-
ing modesty, that in such-and-such
year he had come ashore in that build
ing with all his earthly possessions
rolled up in a newspaper.
AND now" he went on, IT could
buy the building and the land It
stands on"
1T would be worth a lot Of money
the attendant suggested.
1--WE got It," said the man.
1t would be easy to imagine that Of
the visitors from among the later i'm
migrants who have landed elsewhere
there are some superstitious ones who
1r,nl -. ~ IN ha
of somebody they know who years be-
fore had come to this country and,
landing in Castle Garden, had made
his fortune.
There is in the city perhaps no public
place in which there might be heard,
at one time and another, or all at the
same time, greater diversity Of
tongues. 1t often happens that peo-
pie who had come TO the barge office
TO wait there for friends who were
coming to this country as immigrants
would find that they had some time
to wait And then they VISIT the
Aquarium. There might be heard
there the tongues of people of dozen
nationalities brought together here
to meet people Of as many nationah-
ties, coming across the sea. and con-
centrated here at this port and at
the landing place; and among these
visitors may be found those who evil
IDENTIFY are pleased not only because
the old building is preserved, but be-
cause It Is preserved in such form, as
public place of interest and attraction.
Though it is years now since Castle
Garden has been a landing place for
immigrants, there are still people, in
Guiding some who themselves landed
here, who do not know that it's use
as such has been discontinued. For
example: There came to the doorman
at the Aquarium the other day, In
quiring for her daughter an old wom-
an. She had landed when she came to
this country at Castle Garden, and she
had written to her daughter that she
would meet her there. Every day
somebody comes to the Aquarium on
n mission that shows that he thinks
ID is still the landing place for immi-
grants: thew are still directed ns the