This Forbidden New York Island Has a Dark And Twisted Past

Tucked away in the East River, not far from the bustling streets of Manhattan, lies an island you can’t visit.

No ferries, no foot traffic, no Instagram selfies.

It’s completely off-limits, and unless you have special government permission, you’ll never set foot on its overgrown shores.

Sounds intriguing, right? This place isn’t just another piece of abandoned real estate—it’s a relic of New York’s dark past.

A place where tragedy, disease, and mystery have all left their marks.

So, what’s the story behind this forbidden island?

Let’s rewind to the late 1800s, when New York City was battling outbreaks of contagious diseases like smallpox and typhoid fever. The city turned to a secluded spot in the East River to keep the infected from the general population.

Enter North Brother Island. That’s right—this eerie, abandoned stretch of land served as a quarantine hospital for decades, isolating thousands of patients.

Among them was none other than Mary Mallon, aka Typhoid Mary, who spent the last 20 years of her life here in forced isolation.

And the history only gets darker. In 1904, the steamship General Slocum caught fire just off the island’s shore.

Over 1,000 lives were lost in one of the deadliest maritime disasters in U.S. history, with many victims washing up on North Brother Island.

Fast-forward to the 1950s, and the island took on a new, equally ill-fated role as a drug rehab center.

By the 1960s, it was abandoned entirely, leaving behind a crumbling wasteland of empty buildings overtaken by nature.

Today, North Brother Island is a bird sanctuary, closed to the public and shrouded in mystery.

But its history—equal parts chilling and fascinating—keeps it firmly rooted as one of New York City’s most forbidden places.