Buried secrets and whispered stories linger on Hart Island. It sits at the western end of Long Island Sound. This 131-acre island in the Bronx holds a past more complex than you might guess.
Hart Island’s story started long before it became a cemetery. Once, the Siwanoy tribe called this island home. In 1654, Thomas Pell purchased it. The island passed through several owners. By the early 19th century, Hart Island became a haven for bare-knuckle boxing. Thousands watched.
During the Civil War, Hart Island transformed into a training ground. The United States Colored Troops trained here starting in 1864. Over 50,000 men trained. Later, it became a prisoner-of-war camp. It held Confederate soldiers.
In 1868, New York City bought Hart Island. It paid 75,000 dollars. Soon after, the city began using it as a potter’s field. Louisa Van Slyke was the first burial in 1869. She was 24. Hart Island became the City Cemetery.
Over time, Hart Island served multiple purposes. It was a quarantine station. It housed a psychiatric hospital. There was a boys’ workhouse. For a time, Hart Island held about 2,000 delinquent boys. It also housed elderly prisoners.
An amusement park was even proposed for Hart Island in the 1920s. It was called the Negro Coney Island. But the city condemned the land.
After World War II, Hart Island continued to evolve. It was a disciplinary barracks. Later, it became a homeless shelter. Then, an alcoholism treatment center opened. Nike defense missiles were stationed on Hart Island during the Cold War.
Since 1869, more than one million people have been buried on Hart Island. These are individuals who were not claimed. They include the homeless and indigent. Mass burials of disease victims also rest here. Until 2019, inmates from Rikers Island conducted burials.
Access to Hart Island was restricted. But the Hart Island Project worked to improve access. In 2019, jurisdiction transferred to the Parks Department. This change sought to ease public access.
One theory says British cartographers named it Heart Island. This was due to its shape. The e was dropped shortly after. Other names included Little Minneford Island and Spectacle Island.
Today, Hart Island is still a cemetery. It is the largest tax-funded cemetery in the United States. Burials are in trenches. Babies are placed in coffins stacked in groups. Adults are placed in larger boxes. Each box is labeled with identification.
During the AIDS epidemic, victims were buried in separate graves. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hart Island served as a temporary burial site.
Many burial records were destroyed. The Hart Island Project maintains an online database. This helps people find relatives.
Notable people are buried on Hart Island. They include playwright Leo Birinski. Novelist Dawn Powell also rests here. Composer Noah Creshevsky chose Hart Island as his final resting place.
The Hart Island Project helps families obtain burial records. It arranges visits to grave sites. The city has given burial records to the Hart Island Project since 2009.
In 2023, the city reported razing 15 of the island’s 19 structures. The city plans to create a safer environment. It is not intended to become a full-fledged public park.
Hart Island holds stories of the forgotten. It’s a place of history and remembrance.