Statue of Liberty?

[Gregg]

WTF? I was looking at a map of New York harbor for something and, is the Statue of Liberty really in New Jersey? It looks like it is on a map, am I crazy? Did everyone know this but me?

[The Observer]

Gregg, there are three answers to your question. You get to choose which one appeals to you:

(1) Liberty Island used to be part of New York until Hurricane Sandy hit the NYC area and shoved the island into New Jersey. The New Jerseyites, recognizing a good deal when they see one, claimed all of the island and Lady Liberty under the theory that possession is 9/10 of the law, and told New Yorkers to "go pound sand."

(2) In a daring and ignominious act by the Illuminati, posing as Dutch fur traders, bought Liberty Island from NYC in exchange for $24 worth of dinar and gave it to New Jersey.

(3) Liberty Island belong to the boroughs of New York City (Manhattan), despite the fact that it sits entirely inside waters belonging to New Jersey. This is one of those interesting developments in history stretching back as far as the founding of New York. Of course, the island belongs to neither New Jersey or New York, since it is owned by the federal government. However this has not stopped New York or New Jersey from feuding in the past over which state should have jurisdictional control over the island.

[notorial dissent]

IIRC don't or didn't most of the islands in the harbor belong to the feds at one point and they eventually gave control and sovereignty to NY at some point?

[The Observer]

The islands have been under private, state and federal ownership. Liberty Island was ceded to the feds in the 1800's so that a fort could be built to defend the waterways and harbor. For the purposes of seeing who had the right to conduct commerce and jurisdictional control on the island (such as ferry service) NY state ended up on top after several court battles with NJ. But NJ does have riparian rights for all of the waters surrounding Liberty Island. One of those Solomonaic decisions, I guess.

[notorial dissent]

What I thought I remembered. Makes perfect sense.

[Pottapaug1938]

The book "How The States Got Their Shapes", by Mark Stein, explains the reason for this

In 1833, New York and New Jersey agreed that (bear with me, now):

The water boundary between the states runs along the center line of the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay.

The land boundary gives all of the land above water up to the mainland, with the exception of any "above water surfaces" (such as docks) attached to the mainland.

Sooooooo... we come to Ellis Island/Liberty Island. It was selected as the main immigrant processing center in 1892; and to provide all of the needed space, the island was expanded by landfill.

Then, in 1993, New Jersey went to court claiming that those areas of Ellis/Liberty Island which had been created by landfill belonged to them and not to New York, since the landfill had been deposited on underwater land that belonged to New Jersey. In 1998, the Supreme Court ruled in their favor.

[Gregg]

The book "How The States Got Their Shapes", by Mark Stein, explains the reason for this

In 1833, New York and New Jersey agreed that (bear with me, now):

The water boundary between the states runs along the center line of the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay.

The land boundary gives all of the land above water up to the mainland, with the exception of any "above water surfaces" (such as docks) attached to the mainland.

Sooooooo... we come to Ellis Island/Liberty Island. It was selected as the main immigrant processing center in 1892; and to provide all of the needed space, the island was expanded by landfill.

Then, in 1993, New Jersey went to court claiming that those areas of Ellis/Liberty Island which had been created by landfill belonged to them and not to New York, since the landfill had been deposited on underwater land that belonged to New Jersey. In 1998, the Supreme Court ruled in their favor.

YES!

I did a little more than a little google fu on this after I got started and found that ruling about the landfill. One of my favorite stories because it shows how much money two states would spend litigating (in the SCOTUS no less, being a dispute between states) over something that mattered not a wit to either one because the land they were fighting over belonged to the Federal Government and enclave or not, the Feds are not going to change what they want to do for either one. Hell, you might even get Pete Hendrickson to admit that money earned on Liberty Island is taxable income.

[AndyK]

Him what owns Liberty Island gets revenue (Cruises sales taxes on concessions, etc),

Money talks.