Ellis Island public and the museum partially re-opened on October 28, 2013, after major renovations. Originally much of the west shore of Upper New York Bay consisted of large tidal flats which hosted vast oyster banks, a major source of food for the Lenape population who lived in the area prior to the arrival of Dutch settlers. There were several islands which were not completely submerged at high tide. Three of them (later to be known as Liberty Island, Black Tom Island and Ellis Island) were given the name Oyster Islands by the settlers of New Netherland, the first European colony in
Oyster Harbors Oyster Harbors Oyster Harbors is a gated community within the village of Osterville, Massachusetts. It is located on Grand Island. Oyster Harbors was first inhabited by the Wampanoag tribe when they first settled on Cape Cod. A legend states Captain Kidd presumably had buried treasure at Noisy Point during this time, guarded by the witch Hannah Screecham. Around 1658, the island was reserved for Native Americans. However, after an expensive lawsuit in 1737, they sold the island to the Lovell family. For the next two centuries, the island would remain uninhabited, and was used only for salt works and pastureland.