Ellis Island was administratively reassigned from New York to New Jersey by the Supreme Court in 1998, a ruling that settled a boundary dispute dating to an 1834 compact between the two states. The decision hinged on the fact that the island's original landmass fell within New Jersey waters — the larger, landfilled portion created during immigration station construction being the point of contention. New Jersey ultimately claimed about 90% of the total acreage.
That jurisdictional quirk is precisely why this quarter appears in the New Jersey slot of the America the Beautiful series rather than New York's.
Ellis Island was administratively reassigned from New York to New Jersey by the Supreme Court in 1998, a ruling that settled a boundary dispute dating to an 1834 compact between the two states. The decision hinged on the fact that the island's original landmass fell within New Jersey waters — the larger, landfilled portion created during immigration station construction being the point of contention. New Jersey ultimately claimed about 90% of the total acreage.
That jurisdictional quirk is precisely why this quarter appears in the New Jersey slot of the America the Beautiful series rather than New York's.