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Hart Island, sometimes referred to as Hart's Island is a small uninhabited island in New York City at the western end of Long Island Sound. It is approximately a mile long and one quarter of a mile wide and located to the northeast of City Island in the the Pelham Islands group. The island is the easternmost part of the borough of the Bronx. It is the location of a prison operated by the New York City Department of Corrections, as well as the historical potter's field of New York City. In the middle of the 19th century, the island was called Lesser Minneford Island. The origin of the current name is obscure. Local legend says that a woman named Mrs. Hart, a childless widow, inherited Lesser Minneford Island and donated it to the City Of New York or the county and the island was renamed after her. The Empire State Building (right) and the Chrysler Building (left) are easily recognized symbols of New York City to the world. ...
New York City waterways: 1. ...
City Island is a small island approximately 1. ...
The Pelham Islands is a colloquial historical name for a group of islands in western Long Island Sound. ...
A borough is a local government administrative subdivision used in the Canadian province of Quebec, in some states of the United States, and formerly in New Zealand. ...
The Bronx is one of the five boroughs of United States. ...
A potters field is a place for the burial of unknown or indigent people. ...
Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Prison Hart Island and the pier on Fordham Street on City Island are restricted areas, with trespassing punishable by a fine of $600 and a year in prison. The island prison houses approximately 100 inmates convicted of "quality of life crimes."
Potter's Field The prisoners on the island perform burials at the 45-acre Potter's Field which contains about 600,000 dead. About two-thirds of the burials are infants and stillborn. Of the 8,000 burials a year in 2005, 1,500 were for infants. Burials are performed at a rate of about 125 a week, and there are no rites or other religious rituals performed at the burial.
Missiles The New York City Department of Corrections operates a ferry to the island from a pier on Fordham Street on City Island. In addition to the potters field, the island has a tall white Peace monument at the north end and defunct Nike Ajax missile silos nearby that were once part of the United States Army base Fort Slocum, which was also located on Davids Island. The tall white monument is a peace monument erected before the missile base was installed. The Pride of Burgundy, a P&O Ferries car ferry on the Dover-Calais route A ferry is a boat or a ship carrying passengers, and sometimes their vehicles, on scheduled services. ...
Launch of a Nike Zeus missile Project Nike was a US Army project, proposed in May 1945 by Bell Labs, to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. ...
A missile silo is a underground vertical cylindrical container for the storage and launching of ICBMs. ...
US Army Seal HHC, US Army Distinctive Unit Insignia The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces that has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...
Fort Slocum, New York was a US military base occupying Davids Island and Hart Island at the western end of Long Island Sound. ...
David (or Davids) Island is a small island at the western end of Long Island Sound. ...
Poor House In the 19th century the island was the location of an almshouse. There is a small section of old houses dating back to the American Civil War that have fallen into disrepair. The island also contains the remains of the old debtor's prison and Phoenix House, a drug rehabilatation facility. Categories: Stub ...
The American Civil War (1861–1865) was fought in North America between the United States of America, called the Union and the Confederate States of America, a new nation formed by 11 seceding states. ...
A debtors prison is a prison for people unable to pay a debt to another. ...
Tours The New York City Department Of Corrections has guided tours of the island about every five years or so at local residents' requests. Visitors are allowed to see the outside of the missile silos and Peace Monument nearby and see the ruined buildings, some that date back to the 1850's. There are new proposals to turn the Nike Ajax missile silos and abandoned complex into a museum with guided tours and gift shop. This would bring more tourist dollars to City Island and the Bronx.
Local TV News sometimes reports on plans to install Natural Gas burning electrical turbine power plants that will get the fuel from a huge Shell/TransCanada gas pipeline and offshore gas terminal that will be situated in central Long Island Sound. The energy will be sold to New York City and Long Island.
Popular culture Movie poster for Dont Say a Word Dont Say a Word is a 2001 motion picture that tells the story of a psychiatrist, whose daugher is being held hostage while he attempts to connect with a young mental patient who holds the key to a fortune in her...
References Hart Island; Melinda Hunt and Joel Sternfeld; ISBN 3-931141-90-X
See also The Pelham Islands is a colloquial historical name for a group of islands in western Long Island Sound. ...
Movie poster for Dont Say a Word Dont Say a Word is a 2001 motion picture that tells the story of a psychiatrist, whose daugher is being held hostage while he attempts to connect with a young mental patient who holds the key to a fortune in her...
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