The busiest ferry route in the entirety of the United States, the Staten Island Ferry has been a New York staple for over 200 years. Originating in 1817, the ferry we know today started out as a steamboat owned by the Richmond Turnpike Company. The first
The tracks of the New York Elevated Railroad twist around the front of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, circa 1890s, in New York City.
A crowd of people wait at the Staten Island entrance of the ferry to the Battery in Manhattan in 1895.
Ferry passengers arriving at Whitehall Street with Royal Blue Line ticket office and Baltimore and Ohio Railroad office in Manhattan during the early 1900s.
View of the Staten Island ferry ‘Manhattan’ as it approaches the pier in 1905.
Shoe shiners working on board the Staten Island Ferry, circa 1920s.
New York policemen operate the Staten Island Ferry during a strike by ferry drivers, circa 1925.
The New York side of the Staten Island Ferry in 1929.
The Staten Island Ferry coming into its slip in Manhattan during the early 1930s.
This view of downtown Manhattan shows the Staten Island Ferry terminal and the financial district, Oct. 15, 1937.
This is a general view of the Rapid Transit station which was heavily damaged fire which consumed the ferry house at St. George, Staten Island, on June 25, 1946.
View of a man sleeping on a bench, while waiting for the next ferry to arrive, at the Staten Island ferry terminal in 1948.
View of a passenger taking up an entire bench to recline and get some sleep, aboard the Staten Island Ferry in 1948.
View of passengers departing the Staten Island Ferry terminal, after arriving into the city in Manhattan in 1948.
View of a man buying something from a vendor at a newspaper stand at the Staten Island ferry terminal in Manhattan in 1948.
View of passengers waiting for the ferry’s arrival at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal waiting area in Manhattan in 1948. A Cushman’s sign is visible on the far wall.
The ferry boat, President Roosevelt, enters the slip at South Ferry in Manhattan on Aug. 11, 1949.
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Prince Philip are shown on board the Ferry Boat which took them from Staten Island to Manhattan on Oct. 21, 1957.
The Staten Island Ferry station in New York City, advertising a 5-cent fare in October of 1969.
Members of the Moscow Bolshoi Ballet snack on hot dogs during a ride on the Staten Island Ferry as they visit New York City on April 27, 1975.
A view of the Staten Island Ferry boat ‘Pvt. Joseph F. Merrell’ in 1976 in Manhattan.
Passengers on the Staten Island Ferry in 1978.
A diner at Staten Island ferry terminal in Manhattan in 1978.
The skyline of lower Manhattan, New York, with the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center dominating, is seen from the Staten Island Ferry in New York Harbor in 1985.
A Staten Island Ferry threads its way among vessels jamming in New York Harbor on July 3, 1986 in preparation for weekend festivities. The carrier John F. Kennedy provides a backdrop.
