​Gateway to America: The Celebrities of Ellis Island

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During the over 60 years that Ellis Island served as an immigrant station for those looking for a promising new place to call home, it welcomed several million new Americans to the country. In fact, it has been estimated that roughly 40 percent of all current U.S. citizens are directly related to at least one person who passed through Ellis Island. When you think about the sheer magnitude of people who applied for admission to the U.S. there, it’s rather unsurprising that many celebrities entered the country through its gates.

Reprinted from Ellis Island.


Like most individuals can trace their roots back to the historic island, America as a whole can trace its roots back to these foreign-born leaders. They are direct contributors to what we now consider American literature, food, art, and culture. With the help of author Barry Moreno and his book “Ellis Island’s Famous Immigrants,” let’s take a look at some of the creators, thinkers, and doers who saw the four domed towers of the Ellis Island Immigration Station — and, of course, the torch of Lady Liberty — before they saw anything else in America.

  • Ayn Rand: Russian Novelist — Classical liberal darling Ayn Rand, author of “The Fountainhead” and “Atlas Shrugged,” hails from St. Petersburg, Russia. She entered Ellis Island in 1926 on a six-month tourist visa and, after moving back to New York by way of Chicago and Los Angeles, permanently settled in the U.S.
  • Irving Berlin: Russian Composer — Famed composer and lyricist Irving Berlin came to the U.S. at the age of 5 from Russia. Like many Eastern European immigrants from the period, Berlin’s family settled in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Around the age of 13, Berlin began singing and performing for customers on the Bowery.
  • Arthur Murray: Polish Ballroom Dancer —The father of ballroom dancing was a Polish Jewish immigrant named Moses Teichmann before he passed through Ellis Island. He came to the U.S. from Galicia, Austria-Hungary, aboard the S.S. Friesland in 1897, when he was just 2 years old. Like the Berlins, the Murray family settled in the Lower East Side, on Ludlow Street.
  • The Trapp Family: Austrian Singers — The choral group depicted in “The Sound of Music” was based on the Trapp Family Singers, a group of Austrian singers who made their famous move to the U.S. to flee Hitler’s Austrian invasion. After arriving at Ellis Island in 1938, the group charmed American audiences with German numbers.  
  • Bob Hope: English Entertainer — Though London-born entertainer Bob Hope eventually made a name for himself on Broadway, his family actually moved straight to Cleveland after arriving at Ellis Island on March 30, 1908. He went on to star in various vaudeville shows, Broadway plays, and radio programs.
  • Rudolph Valentino: Italian Actor — Born in Puglia, Italy, Hollywood star Rudolph Valentino first came to America by way of Ellis Island in 1913 at the age of 18. Valentino supported himself with odd jobs in Little Italy and Central Park before eventually entering the vaudeville world as a dancer. Sadly, Valentino died at age 31 due to various health complications.
  • Kahlil Gibran — Lebanon-born writer and poet Kahlil Gibran emigrated to the U.S. with his family in 1985 when he was 12 years old. The family eventually settled in Boston, and Gibran went on to publish many significant writings in Arabic and English, including his best-seller “The Prophet.”
  • Lucky Luciano: Italian Mobster — With so many people entering Ellis Island, it’s no surprise that the occasional controversial figure passed through its doors. One such figure is Lucky Luciano, the one-time controller of the New York mob and friend to high-ranking mobsters like Bugsy Siegel and Frank Costello. Luciano was eventually deported back to Italy for his crimes.

For more incredible stories of immigration, make sure to pick up Moreno’s book, which features dozens of anecdotes of high-profile Americans who came to the U.S. by way of Ellis Island.

Macabre Monday: What Happened to Little Lord Fauntleroy?

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Cold cases are some of America’s greatest mysteries, fueling both societal imagination and horror with their often-complicated stories. Each Monday in October, we’re exploring history’s most myserious cold cases. If you missed the first post in our series, be sure to read the story of The Servant Girl Annihilator!

A Body in the Water

The tale of Little Lord Fauntleroy begins at the Waukesha, Wisconsin quarry. On the morning of March 8, 1921, an employee discovered a body floating in the quarry pond. The body, a young boy, looked to be no more than five or six years old, and there was no indication of how long he’d been left to his gruesome fate. The boy was unknown to John Brlich, the employee who discovered him, and also to the county sheriff and coroner, who eventually came to collect his remains.

In an attempt to help identify the young boy, the police elected to display the body at a local funeral home, and invite the public. Hundreds poured in to view the body, but no one could definitively name him. His story soon spread to the newspapers, who described his shaggy blonde hair, brown eyes, and outfit, all in an attempt to positively identify the child.

Although the public could provide very little information on who the boy might be, a quarry worker came forward approached authorities with what seemed to be a promising lead: A woman in a red sweater had been by the property about a month before, asking if anyone had seen a young boy in the neighborhood. After learning that nobody had, the woman left the quarry with a male acquaintance.

A Mysterious Woman and Homer Lemay

Detectives worked to determine the identity of the woman in the quarry, but their efforts were mostly in vain. No one knew who the woman might have been, and it seemed like another dead end in the search for Little Lord Fauntleroy’s identity. After several days of leaving the boy’s body on display, the authorities buried him in a white coffin, with the words “our darling” carved into its lid by a mourner.

A short time after burying the mystery child, police received more news: The mystery woman had reportedly committed suicide, in the same quarry pond where they had originally found Little Lord Fauntleroy. Authorities searched the area for her body, even dragging the waters and setting off dynamite in the hopes of revealing her remains. No corpse was ever found.

It wasn’t for almost three decades that another possible identity for the boy’s body was given. In 1949, a coroner from Milwaukee theorized that the body of Little Lord Fauntleroy may have been that of Homer Lemay, a young boy who had gone missing during the same time period. Homer was six at the time of his disappearance, and his father, Edmond Lemay, claimed the boy was being cared for by the Nortons, some family friends. Lemay also claimed the child had perished in a car crash while in South America with the Nortons, and that he had no idea about the fate of his child until he was sent a newspaper clipping describing the crash.

Edmond’s story didn’t add up for authorities, however – not only was there no evidence of a car crash in South America, but they soon found out that the Nortons themselves were most likely made up. In addition to these discoveries, Lemay was later accused of falsifying his wife’s signature, who had also gone missing. Despite these accusations, Edmond Lemay was found not guilty of any crimes, and his wife and son were never found.

Today, the identity of Little Lord Fauntleroy is still unknown. He may have been Homer Lemay, or he may have been another child, left behind in a quarry pond. For years following his death, townspeople claimed a heavily veiled woman visited his grave once a year, placing flowers while she sat by his headstone. They claimed this woman knew the true identity of Little Lord Fauntleroy. Whoever she may have been, whatever she may have known, went with her to the grave.

The Rise of Craft Coffee: A Culinary Experience in a Cup

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People have used the coffee bean as an energy source for over a thousand years. The discovery of coffee originated in Ethiopia, and it quickly spread throughout the Middle East and Africa before making its way into Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The rise of craft coffee developed out of centuries-old love and appreciation for the humble bean.

According to coffee lore, an Ethiopian goat-herder from the 9th century noticed the effects of the plant on his goats after they nibbled on the beans. He reported that the animals were more energetic and didn’t want to sleep at night. He tried the plant himself with similar results, and his fellow villagers took note of the remarkable attributes of the edible fruit.

A picture of coffee fruit in Columbia. Reprinted from New York City Coffee

The caffeinated discovery took hold quickly, and coffee made an early introduction in fifteenth century Yemen. However, the beverage didn’t make its way to the Americas until the seventeenth century, likely by way of the British government, after they acquired the New York colony from the Dutch.

As coffee became a popular household good throughout the world, the quality of the beans and the different roasting and brewing processes became entrenched in cultures throughout the globe.

The First Wave of Coffee in America

In the 1800s, Folgers and Maxwell House became household names in America as consumers started demanding pre-roasted, ground coffee at an affordable price. Coffee sold in durable canisters or paper bags became a staple of the American workforce. From industrial workers in large cities to the cowboys running long cattle drives in frontier territories, Americans relied on coffee to power their days.

Known as the first wave of coffee, consumption of the beverage skyrocketed from the 1800s until the beginning of World War II. Imaginative entrepreneurs developed features like vacuum packaging, instant coffee, home coffee makers, and powdered creamers to help fuel the market.

Consumers did not prioritize quality, but they loved the convenience of the product. By 1940, the United States imported 70% of the world’s coffee, which continued to grow year after year.

The Second Wave

The second wave lasted for about thirty years, after Starbucks Coffee opened its Seattle doors in 1971, attempting to build on the success of Peet’s Coffee in Berkeley, CA.

As the coffee shops grew in popularity, consumers became more interested in the coffee’s origin, roasting style, and brewing process. Americans started exploring espressos as well as exotic brews from all over the world.

Coffee culture started to become a social experience shared by many people. Baristas began to approach coffee as a craft, educating the public about the product and the brewing process.

The Third Wave

The third wave came along in the early 2000s with the rise of craft coffee, focused less on marketing, and more on coffee appreciation.

The students of the second-wave baristas, educated in the finer points of coffee, began to view the process from coffee cultivation to consumption as a culinary art. Small, independent coffee shops worked at perfecting their individual craft and educating the consumer about the market.

Craft Coffee Today

These days, craft coffee has become as much a part of American culture as locally brewed craft beer.

Though most think of the West Coast as the epicenter, New York City has a commendable history of coffee consumption and a thriving scene of adept professionals who continue to elevate the experience. In September, the city will host the Craft Coffee Festival which offers an immersive coffee experience, featuring unique beans and exciting flavor profiles.

The 1938-40 World Fair was in part sponsored by a large local coffee company, Chase and Sanborn. Reprinted from New York City Coffee.

Outside the Big Apple, New Orleans, Portland, Austin, Honolulu, and Washington, D.C. all rank in the top ten best cities for coffee, with thousands of coffee shops and independent roasters supporting and transforming the industry.

What’s Brewing Next?

Craft coffee considers the flavor and origin source of each bean and employs innovative brewing techniques to concoct the perfect cup that will satisfy the skilled palettes of enthusiasts across the country. We’re excited to see where the next innovation will take the industry!

The First American Car Race

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The amount of engineering, time, and funding put into the racecars we know today is incredible. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is a multi-million dollar organization. Born from the Daytona Beach land speed competitions in the 1920s, NASCAR has become the brand for auto-racing sports in America. However, the association would not be where it is today without the invention of an automotive vehicle and a car race.

The First Car

We usually credit Henry Ford with the invention of the car due his success in making the automobile accessible to the masses. However, two brothers from Springfield, Massachusetts created the first car in 1893, 15 years before Ford made the Model T. The Duryea brothers are known for being early pioneers of the U.S. auto industry. Their company, Duryea Motor Wagon Company, was the first to manufacture gasoline-powered automobiles.

The name Motor Wagon was derived from their first creation. They purchased a $70 horse buggy into which they installed a 4-horsepower, single-cylinder engine. The first model was donated to the United States National Museum by one of the brother’s granddaughters in the 1920s.

Their company was successful until the beginning of the 20th century. The brothers had parted ways due to disagreements in financing, and the luxury vehicles they produced could not compete with Ford’s more affordable automobile. However, their rise to fame and contribution to the history of American automobiles all began with a race.

The Race

In June 1895, the Chicago Times-Herald announced that the publication would hold a “Moto-Cycle” race for automobile makers. Auto engineering was wildly popular and advanced internationally. The race was meant to ignite growth in the U.S. auto industry. Anyone was welcome to enter his vehicle in the race, including competitors from abroad. There was a grand prize of $5,000 ($142,000 today), and all the bragging rights the title entailed.

The race was first scheduled for early November. Though there were over 80 entrants, only a handful ended up arriving. Many of the entrants were unable to complete their vehicles in time, while others were unable to make the journey due to the nature of the roads at that time. Because of this, the Herald postponed the date of the race to Thanksgiving Day.

An early race on Daytona Beach. 1904. Reprinted from Daytona Beach: 100 Years of Racing

It had snowed the day before the race, which caused the roads to be muddy and created snowdrifts. This did not stop the six competitors from starting up their vehicles. Among them were the Duryea Brothers with the first American four-wheeled gas-powered car, three (four-wheeled) Benz cars, and two (two-wheeled) vehicles. Of the last two, one was electric-powered. However, once the race began, the battery of the electric vehicle eventually died, and the other motorcycle did not have enough power to make the steep climbs on the course.

The Benz cars kept the lead until the return trip. One had collided with a horse and was forced to forfeit. Only three vehicles remained, including the Duryeas’ motor wagon. The Duryeas took the lead and won 1st place after completing the 54-mile course in 7 hours and 53 minutes. A Benz crossed the finish line an hour and a half later, taking second place. None of the other vehicles completed the race. The result was unprecedented. Though only traveling at 7.5 mph, the Duryea Motor Wagon was the first American car to beat an international competitor.

The news of the race became a national headline. Many claimed that the age of horse-dependent transportation was over, due to the vehicles’ abilities to run in extreme weather. The Herald was successful in their attempt to ignite the auto industry. Only a year later, in 1894, commercial production of cars began in the U.S.

Car Racing Since

Following the Chicago Times-Herald race, there were not any formal competitions in the U.S. In places like France and Belgium, vehicles competed in timed land-speed competitions. This trend eventually made its way to Daytona Beach, Florida. However, races where cars competed alongside each other were born from the bootlegging days of Prohibition.

Bootleggers in the Appalachian region used small vehicles to quickly transport whiskey and hooch across county lines and evade law enforcement. The bootleggers started modifying their vehicles for faster speed, better handling, and, of course, increased cargo space. After Prohibition was repealed and the bootleggers’ businesses rendered legal, the former outlaws continued speeding through Appalachia, except this time to escape tax collectors. The fast cars hurrying down the dirt roads became a staple in Appalachia and Southern culture that would last through the decades.

By the late 1940s, car-racing enthusiasts no longer had to watch from afar. Car races were held in public and for profit. People could come watch as drivers pulled up with their modified cars and raced for first place. After a significant car race in Daytona Beach, NASCAR founder Bill France realized there was a venture to be had in the sport of auto-racing.

The Top 5 Abandoned Places in Florida

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This post was written by David Bulit, author of Lost Miami: Stories and Secrets of Magic City Ruins

For years, I have been exploring and photographing abandoned places, mostly in the state of Florida where I currently live. What attracts to these places is a multitude of reasons; the decayed beauty, the forgotten history, the lost architecture.  Much of my work and the work of other explorers in the state can be found on my website, www.abandonedfl.com.

The Victorian Treehouse

Built in the early-70s, this incredibly thought out tree house is part of a larger complex and former nursery business. The 3-story miniature house includes bedrooms, bathrooms and even a kitchen.  Sadly, it had deteriorated over the years and is too far gone to repair.

Around 2014, photos of the tree house went viral, making rounds through news outlets, websites and blogs.  It’s become very known for being such a wondrous and unique house left to rot along with the rest of the property.  The current owners have cattle on the property and are not pleased with the attention, warning any would be trespassers that if caught, they will be arrested and charged. This hasn’t stopped people from visiting the property to see the house with their very own eyes.

Arthur G. Dozier School Dorms

The Florida School for Boys, better known as the infamous Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, was a reform school in the town of Marianna and for a time, it was the largest juvenile reform school in the country.

Since it’s opening in January 1900, the school gained a reputation for abuse, beatings, rapes, torture, and even murder of students by the staff.

An inspection in 1903 reported that boys at the school were commonly kept in leg irons. In 1968, Governor Claude Kirk visited the school and found overcrowding and poor conditions, saying that “somebody should’ve blown the whistle a long time ago”.

In 1982, another inspection revealed that boys were hogtied and kept in isolation for weeks at a time. In 1985, new information emerged that ex-inmates of the school were tortured by being handcuffed and hung from the bars of their cells, sometimes for over an hour.

In 2007, the acting superintendent and one other employee were fired following allegations of abuse. In 2009, the school failed its annual inspection, finding a large number of complaints by inmates, including mistreatment and abuse by the guards. In report published by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2010, they found many of the boys were subject to sexual misconduct by the staff.

The state decided to close the facility in 2011, citing “budgetary limitations”.

The North Campus was for blacks only before its integration in 1968. Behind the old campus was “Boot Hill Cemetery” where many of the boys who died at the school were buried. Even though there were pipe markers, they didn’t actually mark graves.

In 2013, the bodies buried there were exhumed by the University of South Florida, to indentify the bodies and to determine if the cause of death were from injury, illness or murder. In January 2014, USF announced that excavations yielded 55 bodies, twice the number official records say were there. Since then, only three of the bodies have been identified, one of which was a boy who was reported missing since 1940.

Aerojet-Dade Rocket Fabrication and Development Facility

Back in the 60s, the Soviet Union and United States would compete against each other for space supremacy in spaceflight capability and ultimately, who would be the first to land on the moon.

NASA hired a couple of companies to design and construct a rocket that would take a crew to the moon, one of these companies being Aerojet, a rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer.

Aerojet acquired land for the plant that would build such a rocket just south of Florida and less than 5 miles from the entrance to Everglades National Park.  Outsourcing the construction of the rocket chamber to Sun Ship and Dry Dock and manufacturing the fuel at the facility, they were able to perform three test firings between September 25, 1965 and June 17, 1967. The final test firing used a modified nozzle and control system which made produce over 6 million pounds of thrust, making the largest solid-fuel rocket ever fired.

Despite this achievement, NASA decided to go with liquid fueled rockets from Aerojet’s competitor, causing the workers of the Everglades plant to be laid off. Aerojet mothballed the facility hoping NASA would change their minds but eventually closed it down.

Over the following years, the facility was used by the CIA and various other agencies for training before its complete abandonment after Hurricane Andrew.  This attracted vandals, scrappers, and adventure seekers to the site in later years.

Located a few miles south of the main facility, the rocket chamber used in the last firing still remains in the test silo to this day.

Howey Mansion

William J. Howey moved to Winter Haven in 1908 and amassed a fortune there perfecting his citrus farming and sales program techniques. People flocked to the town considering him Florida’s greatest citrus developer and by 1925 the “Town of Howey” was incorporated. The name was changed to “Howey-in-the-Hills” to reflect the location of the town in an area of rolling hills which he dubbed the “Florida Alps”.

In 1927, construction of his mansion was completed; a 20-room 7,200 square foot mansion at the cost of $250,000, around $3.2 million today after inflation.

Howey died of a heart attack on June 7, 1938 at the age of 62. His wife, Mary Grace Hastings, lived in the Howey mansion until her death on December 18, 1981 and was laid to rest in the family mausoleum on the mansion grounds along with William and their daughter Lois.

The mansion was bought by Marvel Zona and her husband in 1984. After her husband’s passing in 2000, she was approached by would-be buyers and convinced her to take out a loan to pay off the mortgage of the home so it would be easier to sell. Unable to pay it off, she lost the mansion and her second home in North Carolina.

Currently on the market, there has been a lot of interest in purchasing the mansion and turning it into a museum but due to legal issues with the parties who own the mansion, the mansion continues to sit vacant.

Old Bahia Honda Rail Bridge

Not really abandoned per-say, but more of a relic of the past. Located on the west end of Bahia Honda Key, the bridge was originally built between 1905 and 1912 by Henry Flagler as part of the Overseas Railroad. It was intended to carry a single track of the Florida East Coast Railway across the Big Spanish Channel from Bahia Honda Key to Spanish Harbor Key. Due to the channel’s depth, being 24-feet at its deepest point, the Bahia Honda Bridge was built with a steel truss construction as opposed to a concrete arch form that was predominate throughout the Overseas Railway.

The bridge was destroyed during the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and then later purchased by the State of Florida. Rather than rebuilding the bridge, the existing foundations were repaired and were converted to become part of the Overseas Highway in 1938 by adding the deck on top of the existing truss. The bridge served as the primary mode of transport to the lower keys and as the main evacuation route.

In 1980, a new four-lane bridge was constructed just a few hundred yards north of the old bridge, replacing the old route. Two of the truss spans of the old bridge were later removed to allow boat traffic.

The original bridge still remains, though it has fallen into a state of disrepair and signs warning boats of falling debris. Maintained by Bahia Honda State Park, the easternmost section of the bridge is open to pedestrian traffic and provides a scenic overview of the area.

Paranormal Stories: Exploring California’s Most Haunted Places

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Author Evie Ybarra has always loved to track down paranormal sites. In her new book California’s Haunted Central Coast, she recounts some of the best hauntings in The Golden State. Read on to see some of her favorites stories, and explore a bar that she wished could have made it into her new book!

When I was asked to write about my recent book, California’s Haunted Central Coast, my immediate thoughts reverted to my favorite stories. Many of us are captivated by our heroes in sports, the music industry, as well as the great actors of our day. And still many more can remember “the good old days” of times past, or grew up with parents and grandparents who shared these stories with us. We recognize the names of people like Rudolph Valentino, Charlie Chaplin, Norma Shearer, and Bette Davis because of these stories. My mother herself often spoke of Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh.

Of all those stories I heard as a child, however, the ones revolving around the lavish soirees William Randolph “W.R.” Hearst and Marion Davies hosted for their many famous guests are perhaps the most fascinating, because many of these movies stars and intellectuals have been seen far past their time at Hearst Castle and at W.R.’s guest house in Santa Monica, California.

A view of Hearst Castle on the “Enchanted Hill.” Reprinted from California’s Haunted Central Coast by Evie Ybarra courtesy of Laura Dickinson (pg. 27, The History Press, 2018).

There are several credible witnesses who have seen unexplained events within the walls of the main house at Hearst Castle, but getting to the castle itself was an endeavor. Back in the 1930’s, W.R. had a driver who met the guests at the Santa Maria Inn, who were then chauffeured to Hearst Castle in San Simeon. Many guests were movie stars and intellectuals. These guests would stay for the extravagant parties the couple threw, and often returned several times.

Today, the great mansion serves as a tourist attraction, with many of the guest houses and outdoor pool still intact. Estate caretakers claim to have heard footsteps, music, and laughter, as if there was still a party happening in the house. This is not surprising: the paranormal will show themselves when they see an opportunity as they draw energy from the living. Sometimes a ghost frequents a location or a house because it was their very favorite place to spend their time when they were alive.

Ventura City Hall.
Ventura City Hall. Reprinted from California’s Haunted Central Coast by Evie Ybarra courtesy of Laura Dickinson (pg. 101, Arcadia Publishing, 2018).

Another favorite story is the tale of the haunted top floor of City Hall, in Ventura, California.  The City of San Buenaventura has a regal history, and City Hall, which sits on Poli Street overlooking downtown and the vast Pacific Ocean, is not only a beautiful building, but is also quite haunted. The women’s jail was housed on the top floor of this majestic building and today, workers continue reporting how unexplained noises are heard, and lights come on and off when the building is empty.

A story which did not make it into the book, but is nevertheless interesting, features the VinTura Wine Tasting Room and Wine Rack. This Ventura business sits at 14 S. California Street, just a block from Ventura City Hall, and is said to also house unexplained apparitions and paranormal activity after hours. The building itself is 109 years old, according to the landlord. The ambiance of the shop is happy and very positive. Once inside, you relax and enjoy the warmth and very festive atmosphere.

The happy spirits at VinTura move glasses, and lights turn on and off by themselves here at closing time and into the early morning hours. Kristen Shubert, Owner and Sommelier of VinTura is aware of the many stories about the haunted bar: she mentions that glasses will flip off a rack into upright positions, untraceable shadows will appear, and music will pulse loudly in the building, without any physical way of turning it down.

When writing California’s Haunted Central Coast, I hoped to bring alive some of my favorite stories, and the spirits that live in them. Join me through a tour of haunted California.

About the Author

Evie Ybarra is the mother of two—a daughter and a son. She considers her two children her greatest accomplishments. Her husband and confidant, Robert, is her greatest supporter. Evie now has four beautiful grandchildren to whom she has told many stories. After having taught creative writing and history for thirty years, she now enjoys writing as a second career. Evie and her family reside in Southern California in a coastal community filled with many legends and stories.

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