Hart Island is one of the most haunting and sorrowful places in New York City — an island of pain, tears, and death. It is the largest public cemetery in the world, more than 150 years old.
Just 17 kilometers from Manhattan, this small piece of land holds a history the city long tried to forget. No public transportation goes there, and until recently, unauthorized entry could lead to arrest — or even being shot at.
According to some estimates, around one million people are buried on Hart Island. But this is not just a mass grave — it is a grim time capsule, preserving stories of those who vanished in the shadows of the metropolis.
A Cemetery for the Forgotten
For over 150 years, Hart Island has served as New York’s Potter’s Field — a burial ground for the poor, the unclaimed, and the unidentified. Since 1869, it has become the largest taxpayer-funded cemetery in the United States. Beneath its soil lie countless individuals who died alone, without family, money, or identity.
For decades, the island became the city’s dumping ground for all things unwanted:
- Coffins stacked in long trenches, three layers deep;
- Unidentified infants;
- Victims of epidemics;
- Graves dug by Rikers Island inmates — some of whom were later buried in the very same trenches.
A Dark Multi-Layered Past
Hart Island has been more than a cemetery. Over time, it has housed:
- A Civil War prisoner-of-war camp;
- A tuberculosis sanatorium;
- A psychiatric hospital;
- A missile launch base during the Cold War;
- A quarantine zone during the AIDS crisis;
- And once again in 2020, a site of mass burials during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Layer upon layer, Hart Island tells a ghostly story of New York — one of tragedy, neglect, and remembrance.
A New Chapter
In 2021, control of Hart Island was officially transferred from the Department of Correction to NYC Parks — marking a historic shift.
Now:
- Visitors can apply for access through the NYC Parks website;
- Plans are underway to create a memorial park;
- Work is ongoing to build a digital burial map.
Practical Information
Location: Hart Island, accessible by ferry from Hart Island Ferry Terminal on City Island
Visiting: Free through the NYC Parks lottery, or $35 via NY Adventure Club
