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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. The island is the easternmost part of the borough of the Bronx. It is noted as the location of a prison operated by the New York City Department of Corrections, as well the historical potter's field of New York City. In the middle 19th century, the island was called Lesser Minneford Island. The origin of the current name is obscure.
Hart Island and the pier on Fordham Street on City Island is a Restricted Area. There is a large fine of 600 dollars and 1 year in prison for trespass. The island prison houses approximately 100 inmates convicted of "quality of life crimes". The prisoners perform burials at the potter's field. The prisoners often jokingly refer to Hart Island by the nickname of "Semi-Paradise Island" because of its idillic location in the Sound. 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 tall monument at the north end and a defunct Nike Ajax missile silos nearby that were once part of the United States Army base at Fort Slocum, New York. Oddly enough, the tall white Monument is a Peace Monument which was erected before the missile base was installed.
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 debtors prison and Phoenix House, a drug rehabilatation facility.
In the 20th century there were proposals to put large electric power plants on the island. In the 1960s a proposal to use the island as part of a bridge across Long Island Sound was defeated.
The New York City Department Of Corrections has guided tours of the island about every five years or so at local resident's 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.
The island is described in the book "Hart Island" by Melinda Hunt and Joel Sternfeld (ISBN 3-931141-90-X).
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