A FAMOUS STATUE
After visiting the 1868 St. Coleman’s cathedral In Cobh, (pronounced Cove), Ireland we headed to the city’s famous waterfront. The church tower is the backdrop for the Victorian waterfront with its rows of steeply terraced homes. We had a great view of the village and waterfront from this vantage point.
Cobh, located in Cork County on Great Island, one of three islands in Cork Harbor that are linked by causeways, has one of the world’s largest natural harbors. In 1838 the SS Sirius left the harbor and became the first steam ship to cross the Atlantic. She did it in eighteen and a half days.
At the old railroad station at the harbor’s edge we stopped by the bronze stature of Annie Moore--the first immigrant to disembark at Ellis Island. The fare to America was ten pounds gold. Annie was not quite 15 years old when in December 1891 she stood in line with her two younger brothers waiting to board the SS Nevada.
The wind blew her red hair and tears blurred her vision as she thought about leaving her Irish homeland. But she was also excited about seeing her parents who had gone to America two years earlier with her older brother. Annie and her brothers were in steerage class for 12 days. They lived in a large room with many other people on the crowded ship. The Statue of Liberty was welcome site on January 1, 1892. The crowd cheered and as they approached Ellis Island everyone was happy the voyage was over.
Annie was the first off the ship and was surprised when an official handed her a $10 gold piece. He explained to the puzzled girl that Ellis Island was new, and the $10 was a gift to the first person to enter the United States through Ellis Island. It was Annie‘s 15th birthday!
The story was that after a few years she left New York and died in her 30s somewhere in the south.
However, several days later while walking in Dublin we struck up a conversation with a fellow who told us that newspapers had recently been full of the story that the woman who died was another Annie Moore and that the first immigrant never left New York and presumably lived a normal life span.
A replica of the statue of Annie and her brothers also stands on Ellis Island.
