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Park Closure
Castle Clinton National Monument will be closed until further notice. For further updates please visit the NPS Superstorm Sandy Response Facebook page. More »
Castle Clinton's 200th Anniversary Celebration
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November 25, 2011 marked the 200th anniversary of the commissioning of Manhattan Island's Southwest Battery which was later renamed Castle Clinton National Monument. It originally served to defend New York Harbor during the War of 1812.
The National Park Service held a daylong celebration of this event that featured cannon firing, a flag raising, costumed reenactors, historical talks, and a Junior Ranger program for the children which included marching and musket drills, as well as a talk about how cannons work. To read the press release, click here. 
Flag raising ceremony on the parade ground at Castle Clinton N.M.
NPS
Cannon firing in Battery Park, outside Castle Clinton N.M.
NPS
Children take part in a musket drill as part of the Junior Ranger program.
NPS
A ranger dressed as an 1812 artillery soldier explains the workings of a cannon.
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A ranger dressed as a privateer answers the questions of eager children.
NPS
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Did You Know?
Before Ellis Island went into service, Castle Clinton, then called Castle Garden, served as the country’s first immigration depot. Between 1855 and 1890 over 8 million immigrants were processed at Castle Garden.