Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States New York State New York City Brooklyn Yankee Ferry

Yankee Ferry

A world of whimsy and wonder aboard a one of a kind historic landmark vessel.

Brooklyn, New York

Added By
Megan Roberts
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Yankee Ferry   Yankee Ferry
Yankee Ferry   Michelle Enemark
Yankee Ferry   Yankee Ferry
Yankee Ferry   Michelle Enemark
Yankee Ferry   Michelle Enemark
Yankee Ferry   Yankee Ferry
Yankee Ferry   Yankee Ferry
Yankee Ferry   Michelle Enemark
Yankee Ferry   Michelle Enemark
Yankee Ferry   Michelle Enemark
Yankee Ferry   Yankee Ferry
Yankee Ferry   Yankee Ferry
Yankee Ferry, Sparkling at Sunset   Victoria Mackenzie-Childs
Yankee Ferry, Straight on   Victoria Mackenzie-Childs
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

A master at the art of adaptation, Yankee Ferry has carried millions of passengers over the course of her long and illustrious maritime career.

Built as Machigonne in 1907, Yankee Ferry served as a luxury passenger ferryboat for the Northeast's wealthy and elite at the beginning of the 20th century, transporting vacationers from Portland, Maine to the Calendar Islands and later from Boston to Pine Island.  Originally decked out in the finest crystal and mahogany, Machigonne was completely stripped of all her ornamentation with the onslaught of World War I, when the ferry was commissioned by the U.S. Navy  and armed with cannons for use as an offshore patrol boat.

With the end of the war, Machigonne was relocated to New York Harbor where she began her years of service as an Ellis Island ferryboat, carrying waves of newly arrived immigrants to lower Manhattan and offering many of her passengers their very first views of the Statue of Liberty and the city they were to call home. Later, Machigonne was one of the first ships to carry passengers to and from Liberty Island when it became open to the public. 

A series of name and location changes followed: Machigonne became Hook Mountain for her stint as a New York City tour boat, Block Island for her Rhode Island route and League Island when she was recommissioned for naval use in World War II. Finally dubbed Yankee Ferry in 1947, the persevering ferryboat spent the next 45 years serving Rhode Island vacationers before being retired and docked in Providence in 1983. Unfortunately, the historic vessel was left to fall victim to vandalism and neglect and it was several more years before Yankee Ferry was rescued by a private owner and the long project to restore the boat to her former glory could begin.

Today, Yankee Ferry resides in Brooklyn's Gowanus Bay Terminal, where artists Victoria and Richard Mackenzie-Childs have transformed the historic ferryboat into their unusual dwelling.  Filled with hand-crafted artistry and fairytale whimsy, their floating home reflects both Yankee's illustrious history and the couple's unique aesthetic. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992, the boat boasts an impressive list of claims to fame: in addition to having been the longest operating commercial passenger vessel in the U.S., Yankee is the last remaining Ellis Island ferryboat and one of the few remaining vessels to have served in both World War I and II.

With over a century providing service and proving her versatility, Yankee continues to be reinvented and reborn. Following a recent and brief incarnation as a much sought after boatel, Yankee Ferry is reemerging as an open creative forum, welcoming businesses, governments, artists and innovators and providing an inspirational work space that aims to challenge outmoded ways of thinking. Whatever the future may hold in store, Yankee is certain to float through with ease and grace, adapting yet again as the next chapter is added to her already colorful maritime legacy. 

Update as of August 2022: The Yankee Ferry is now berthed at May Ship Repair, 3075 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island.

Related Tags

Boats Art Eccentric Homes Homes

Community Contributors

Added By

meganmichelle

Edited By

michpc, Anna Minster, stephenwsmith

  • michpc
  • Anna Minster
  • stephenwsmith

Published

July 1, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.mackenziechildsyankeeferry.com/
  • https://www.silive.com/news/2020/08/couple-lives-on-former-ellis-island-ferryboat-moored-off-staten-island.html
  • https://www.silive.com/galleries/PPBAMWKZHVHQNJTG4TVRCHRBGA/
  • https://www.silive.com/news/2020/08/couple-who-lives-on-old-ellis-island-ferryboat-launches-si-tours.html
  • https://www.tapinto.net/towns/middletown/sections/family-life/articles/navesink-maritime-heritage-association-offers-si-cruise
  • https://ny.curbed.com/2017/1/12/14256808/ellis-island-ferry-house-boat-nyc
Yankee Ferry
Gowanus Bay Terminal
699 Columbia Street
Brooklyn, New York, 11231
United States
40.66811, -74.010254
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Erie Basin

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

Red Hook Community Farm

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

Red Hook Graving Docks

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Brooklyn

Brooklyn

New York

Places 241
Stories 45

Nearby Places

Erie Basin

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

Red Hook Community Farm

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

Red Hook Graving Docks

Brooklyn, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Brooklyn

Brooklyn

New York

Places 241
Stories 45

Related Stories and Lists

Meet the Owner of the World's Largest Pizza Box Collection

collections

By Anne Ewbank

Join the Crew of NYC's Best-Kept Nautical Secret, Yankee Ferry

ships

By Allison Meier

Related Places

  • Aerial view of Thunderbird Lodge

    Incline Village, Nevada

    Thunderbird Lodge

    This historic estate on the east shore of Lake Tahoe was home to an eccentric millionaire (and his pet elephant, Mingo).

  • Callejon de Hamel.

    Havana, Cuba

    Callejon de Hamel

    A colorful narrow alley in Cuba is full of street art and sculptures made of found objects.

  • Casa de Azucar in El Paso, Texas.

    El Paso, Texas

    Casa de Azucar

    The house's confection-like decorations are the result of one man's painstaking work over decades.

  • Crécy-la-Chapelle, France

    Le Moulin Jaune

    This professional clown's home is an outsider art wonderland.

  • Lenses and antique bottles

    Carrabelle, Florida

    Carrabelle Bottle House

    The bottle house obsession struck a Florida man in his retirement, and now he can't stop building.

  • The Verda from the side

    Shoreham-by-Sea, England

    Houseboats of Shoreham

    A motley, fantastical agglomeration of unlikely houseboats along the Shoreham-by-Sea riverbank.

  • Emily Carr House

    Victoria, British Columbia

    Emily Carr House

    This Italianate house was the childhood home of the prominent Canadian painter, Emily Carr.

  • Cosmic Moose and Grizzly Bear’s Ville

    Cambridge, Massachusetts

    Cosmic Moose and Grizzly Bear’s Ville

    One man's psychedelic fence is painted with his cacophonous folk art musings on the world.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.