“The Loneliest Island” in New York – Where Over 1 Million Nameless & Forgotten Souls Are Buried

Hart Island, New York

Here’s a graveyard where over a million forgotten souls rest in peace. This eerie 131-acre plot has worn many hats.

From being a Civil War prison camp to a Cold War missile base, its most enduring role is now, as the city’s potter’s field, the final stop for the poor and the unclaimed.

Today, Hart Island continues to be a silent witness to history, its simple pine coffins telling the untold stories of New York’s most vulnerable residents.

America’s Largest Potter’s Field

Part of Long Island Sound, the island’s the world’s largest tax-funded cemetery.

Since 1869, the city has buried over one million people here. NYC first recorded the burial of a 24-year-old Louisa Van Slyke on April 20, 1869.

Today, Hart Island still serves as a public burial ground for those who’ve passed away in New York City’s jails or hospitals.

According to research, about 1,000 to 1,500 people are buried annually on Hart Island.

Workers stack pine boxes three deep in trenches, which can hold up to 150 adults or 1,000 infants. In recent years, however, during the COVID-19 pandemic, this number spiked to over 2,300 in 2020 alone.

The Haunted House or Sound?

Shortly after the Civil War, stories of a “Haunted House” began to circulate on the island.

Even the New York Evening Express reported the eerie nocturnal noises coming from a house on the island in 1865.

Some people described someone struggling to breathe, similar to a person with injured lungs. These unsettling sounds, along with muffled groans, disturbed military families so much that they began to avoid the house.

Despite thorough investigations, including removing parts of the building, investigators never found an explanation for these mysterious noises.

Burials by Inmates

For decades, inmates from Rikers carried out Hart Island’s burials.

The Department of Correction paid these gravediggers a nominal fee for their work back in the 1960s.

In a typical burial, inmates would place pine coffins in trenches, stacking them one after the other. This system continued until July 2021, when the Department of Parks & Recreation took over.

The change aimed to improve the dignity of the burial process and marked a significant shift in the island’s operations.

The Island’s Mysterious Size

Experts have debated Hart Island’s exact size.

Lying east of City Island in the northeastern Bronx, some sources claim it covers 101 acres, while others state it spans 131.22 acres.

As of today, the island measures approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) in length and 0.33 miles (0.53 km) in width.

The uncertainty about its precise dimensions adds to the island’s mystique, reflecting the unclear nature of its history and the lives of those buried there.

A Heart-Shaped History

People debate the origin of Hart Island’s name as well.

Some claim that British cartographers in 1775 named it for its heart-like shape, dropping the ‘e’ shortly after. Another explanation proposes they called it “Hart” due to the deer (hart) that would migrate to the island during icy conditions.

But as history denotes, the island has served various purposes, including a Civil War prison camp, a psychiatric institution, a tuberculosis sanatorium, a Cold War missile base, and a drug rehabilitation center.

All this before it officially became NYC’s burial ground.

The Traveling Cloud Museum

Visual artist Melinda Hunt started The Hart Island Project in 1994 to memorialize those buried on the island.

A key initiative is the Traveling Cloud Museum, which she launched in 2014. This digital platform allows users to explore an interactive map of burial plots and access records of individuals interred there.

Now each record includes a “clock of anonymity,” measuring the time a person has been buried without recognition. Users can stop this clock by adding stories, images, or other personal details.

The project also uses GPS and digital mapping to make burial records accessible, helping families find loved ones and preserving the stories of those buried on Hart Island.

The COVID-19 Surge

The COVID-19 pandemic brought Hart Island back into public view as New York City struggled with an overwhelming number of deaths.

In 2020 when the pandemic first hit ground, the city buried 2,334 adults on the island, compared to 846 in 2019. This marked the busiest year on the island since the AIDS crisis in the 1980s and early 1990s.

The surge in burials highlighted Hart Island’s crucial role in the city’s infrastructure. Even images surfaced of workers in hazmat suits burying pine caskets in long trenches.

All these became stark symbols of the pandemic’s toll.

The Changing Face of Death

Hart Island’s burial records reflect changes in society and health crises.

During the AIDS epidemic, the island became “perhaps the single largest burial ground in the country for people with AIDS.”

A stark reminder reading “SC-BI, 1985” marks the first child victim of AIDS buried on Hart Island. In 2016, the average age for those buried on Hart Island was 65 years old, still below the national average of 79 years.

These statistics highlight how societal issues and health crises disproportionately affect certain groups.

Monuments to Hart Island

Artist Rebecca Lieberman created “Monuments to Hart Island,” a virtual reality museum that allows users to explore the island’s infamous history and its role as a burial ground.

The VR technology provides access to a site that has long been restricted to the public.

The project is part of broader efforts to make Hart Island more accessible and to preserve its historical significance.

Today, visitors can “walk” around Hart Island, learning about its history and the stories of those buried there.

The Soldier’s Plot

Among the countless unmarked graves on Hart Island, the Soldier’s Plot stands out.

The city set aside this area for Civil War veterans who died in New York City (when nobody claimed their bodies).

Initially, the city buried 20 Union soldiers who died before June 1865.

The plot later expanded to include veterans from both the Civil War and the Spanish-American War. In 1877, the Reno Post No. 44 of the Grand Army of the Republic erected a monument here.

New York City Army Reserves carried out the installation. Major-General Henry C. Barnum attended the unveiling ceremony, and Major Bullard presented the monument.

Despite the 1916 relocations to the West Farms Soldier Cemetery in the Bronx, the Soldier’s Plot remains a significant part of Hart Island’s history during and after the Civil War.

Environmental Challenges

Hart Island faces significant environmental challenges, primarily due to erosion.

Superstorm Sandy in 2012 damaged portions of the island, including its shoreline areas. This erosion has exposed human remains in some areas.

In response, the government initiated a $13.2 million federal project to repair the erosion.

By 2021, the workers completed the restoration through funding from FEMA, especially the burial plots close to the northeast shoreline.

These efforts are crucial for preserving the island’s historical and ecological significance and for respecting the dignity of those buried there.