Inside mysterious island next to major city where public isn't allowed to go
This mysterious island is located less than a mile off the coast of one of the world's most famous cities, but it is completely abandoned – and has a fascinating history
A mysterious island lies less than a mile off the coast of one of the world's most famous cities – but it is completely abandoned and inaccessible to the public.
North Brother Island is located in New York 's East River between The Bronx and Rikers Island, home to the metropolis' largest prison. But despite being a stone's throw from the US' biggest city, the island is completely uninhabited and, save for occasional access to researchers or journalists, is not open for people to explore.
That hasn't stopped a handful of adventurers from having a go, however. Taking to YouTube, the Adventure Junkies channel shared their experience of kayaking across the East River to have a look around the desolate landmark.
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"North Brother Island is an amazing adventure," they said. "Kayaking through the East River makes it a unique experience. Most of the buildings are so decayed you can't make it inside them, but it's a great sight walking around the island seeing how much nature has taken back."
The video showed dark, abandoned buildings covered in overgrowth. Commenting on Adventure Junkies' video, one person said: "I love how the forest is taking over also how the trees are eternal witness to everything we have forgotten in history, thanks for sharing."
Another agreed: "Dude just saw this video, man this is amazing. I love how you guys just walked up to the marina with kayaks and got to business."
Humans first started to use the island in 1869, when a lighthouse was built. In the mid-1880s, the Riverside Hospital was moved from Blackwell's Island – now Roosevelt Island – to North Brother Island. The hospital was used to treat and isolate victims of smallpox in a bid to stop the spread of the disease among the general population.
Eventually sufferers of typhoid and tuberculosis were also treated and quarantined there. One of the island's most famous residents was Mary Mallon, also known as Typhoid Mary, who lived on North Brother Island for more than two decades until her death in 1938. Over the course of the 1930s, the use of the island as a quarantine location declined.
After World War Two, the island became a home for student war veterans and their families due to a housing shortage. As this problem was remedied, the island became uninhabited again until the 1950s, when it was used as a treatment centre for teenage drug addicts.
However, staff corruption, cost and poor living conditions forced the centre to close in the 1960s. North Brother Island, along with the nearby South Brother Island, eventually fell into private ownership and in 2009 were reacquired by the city of New York.
The island is now used as a sanctuary for water birds, such as herons.
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