The Mysterious History of Hart Island

For the most part if you end up on Hart Island in New York City, it is because things have gone terribly wrong. In the past, Hart Island has variously been used as a tuberculosis sanatorium, a Union Civil War Camp, a women’s insane asylum, and a boys’ reformatory. It was also used to launch missiles during the Cold War in the sixties from the Nike Missile Site, and it housed a rehab facility called Phoenix House in the sixties and seventies. And it has been and continues to be used as a potter’s field.

The lecturer, Marie Carter, recently had a rare opportunity to visit Hart Island. Marie will be discussing the unique history of the area, as well as current uses. This will also evolve into a talk about the strange and unusual ways New York City has utilized the small islands surrounding it in the past.


Marie Carter is a writer, editor, and tour guide who hails from Scotland. She is a tour guide with Boroughs of the Dead, a macabre and ghostly historical walking tour company. She designed and leads the tour “Haunting Histories and Legends of Astoria.” She is also the author of The Trapeze Diaries and the forthcoming novel, Holly’s Hurricane. Please check out her tours at www.boroughsofthedead.com.











When: Sat., Jun. 9, 2018 at 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Where: Q.E.D.
27-16 23rd Ave., btw. 27th & 28th Sts., Astoria, Queens
347-451-3873
Price: $10
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For the most part if you end up on Hart Island in New York City, it is because things have gone terribly wrong. In the past, Hart Island has variously been used as a tuberculosis sanatorium, a Union Civil War Camp, a women’s insane asylum, and a boys’ reformatory. It was also used to launch missiles during the Cold War in the sixties from the Nike Missile Site, and it housed a rehab facility called Phoenix House in the sixties and seventies. And it has been and continues to be used as a potter’s field.

The lecturer, Marie Carter, recently had a rare opportunity to visit Hart Island. Marie will be discussing the unique history of the area, as well as current uses. This will also evolve into a talk about the strange and unusual ways New York City has utilized the small islands surrounding it in the past.


Marie Carter is a writer, editor, and tour guide who hails from Scotland. She is a tour guide with Boroughs of the Dead, a macabre and ghostly historical walking tour company. She designed and leads the tour “Haunting Histories and Legends of Astoria.” She is also the author of The Trapeze Diaries and the forthcoming novel, Holly’s Hurricane. Please check out her tours at www.boroughsofthedead.com.

Buy tickets/get more info now