Locals whisper tales of chimney sweeps becoming rich. Did one buy these islands? Welcome to the Chimney Sweeps Islands. They are a pair of small islands in the northern part of City Island Harbor. They sit in the borough of The Bronx.
The Chimney Sweeps Islands along with High Island divide City Island Harbor from Pelham Bay. The islands are bedrock. They are uninhabited today. But they are home to many birds. Look closely. You might spot gulls skuas or even a great blue heron.
The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation owns the Chimney Sweeps Islands now. They acquired them in 1939. Before that the Chimney Sweeps Islands Corporation a private group used them for recreation. Now they are part of Pelham Bay Park.
Two legends explain the name “Chimney Sweeps Islands”. One says the islands look like chimney sweeps from afar. Chimney sweeps are tools for cleaning chimneys. The other legend claims a chimney sweep got rich and bought the islands. A former owner Russell Smith had another idea. He thought “chimney” might refer to water flow between rocks.
In the early 1900s a family lived on the Chimney Sweeps Islands. They even operated a tavern. Imagine that a tavern out here.
These islands have a large and fascinating history. The Chimney Sweeps were part of Thomas Pell’s original purchase of land in 1654. Shipwrecks have occurred here since the 18th century.
During the 19th century the Delancey and Hunter families owned the Chimney Sweeps. A boathouse stood on the islands by 1890. Andrew Horton of City Island owned it.
Henry DeWitt Carey of City Island owned the Chimney Sweeps by 1895. He planned to fill in the underwater lands surrounding the islands. He wanted to enclose them with a sea wall. Carey’s son Henry DeWitt Carey II was an actor known as Harry Carey. Harry Carey lived in a shack on the Chimney Sweeps during summers with his friend Joe Harris. Harris was a stage villain.
Charles Swan leased the Chimney Sweeps in 1914. He planned to build a hotel and boathouse. The Melrose Gun Club was to have a shooting ground here too. Swan bought the islands but his plans never happened.
Franz Marquardt bought the Chimney Sweeps in 1915. People called him “Baron Marquardt”. He swam to his islands on Sundays to relax. In 1926 Marquardt had to sue to clear his title to the islands. The court ruled the islands were not an interference to navigation.
The Chimney Sweeps Corporation then owned the islands. Cottages appeared on the islands. Nine owners formed Chimney Sweeps Islands Inc. Parks Commissioner Robert Moses wanted the islands. He used a barge near Orchard Beach for fireworks. He thought the Chimney Sweeps would be a better spot.
Russell Smith president of Chimney Sweeps Islands Inc. resisted. He said the owners spent about $9000 on the land and cottages. Moses won and the city acquired the Chimney Sweeps in 1939.
For a time the Parks Department used the Chimney Sweeps for fireworks displays. No one has lived on the islands since. Today the Chimney Sweeps Islands are home to birds. They are true gems of Pelham Bay Park.