Saturday, January 22, 2011

Secrets of North Brother Island

Kingston Lounge visited North Brother Island and posted this photo essay. Hurry and look before some crazy plan to put luxury condos on it is dreamed up by Amanda Burden.

10 comments:

Joe said...

Great photos.
N Brother is an amazing place.
On the south east tip is collapsed lighthouse and 8 foot high wall that separated it from the rest of the islands population.
There are also 2 water wells completely covered in vines. You can fall through and die if your not careful where your stepping.
These people had some balls going their post 911.
The police and Coast Guard cameras and RADAR protecting LGA can spot and average motor boat 4 miles away.
No way to escape when they come for you.
My guess is they paddled a rubber boat in before dawn at slack tide, hid it then used the tide for a getaway

Anonymous said...

This is a fascinating account of the history of North Brother Island and what exists today. Obviously the city or Feds are negligent in maintaining or allowing historic properties vegetate to waste. Politicians whose districts these properties lie, should be accountable for these and not to be allowed to lose value and or repurpose them for the surrounding communities benefit.

Sure Amanda Burden would like to turn this island into condos - it how she gets kickbacks on such stupid proposals.

Joe said...

The lighthouse on N Brother was being restored till Clinton cut its funds and also scuttled and sold Govonors Island.
The lighthouse has since collapased backward on itself its face points toward the sky. It had its own cresent shaped beach to the left of the property overlooking NYC

Both are huge losses, its only a matter of time before NYC go's bankrupt and flips Govonors Island to a devoloper.
-Joe

Anonymous said...

great place to film a zombie movie

Anonymous said...

I thought that's what they call far rockaway........

Erik Baard said...

I love North Brother Island's ruins but even more serene is South Brother Island. Each year, with permits, we clean the island as best we can: http://picasaweb.google.com/erikbaard/SouthBrotherIslandBeauty#

Anonymous said...

"..its only a matter of time before NYC go's bankrupt and flips Govonors Island to a devoloper.
-Joe"

NO NYC will not be going bankrupt..that scenario is FAR more likely in L.I. Aging population, years of bloated police and teacher contracts via the GOP and high taxes that have led an increasing number of homeowners to rent out their places because they can't sell them.

Not a week goes by w/out a new home invasion, drug bust or some piece of white trash getting busted for some bizarre offense.

Most recent case-in-point:

http://www.examiner.com/headlines-in-long-island/second-rockville-centre-house-of-horrors

-Joe said...

We balled up the tide tables on the Garmen and had to camp out on S Brother some years ago.
Its was like Costa Rica without the palms, The bugs can also carry you away !
It was that or risk getting busted even during pre 9-11. There are some old structures and rusting cans with soldered seams on the East Side the Island.
Some people had to be living on it at some time long ago.
Does anyone have the story on that ?

Anonymous said...

I love the story about the courageous nurse who could not swim a stroke who rescued several people when the Slocum went down.

She kept wading farther and farther into the surf to get people and wound up swimming without realize she was even doing it.

Courage itself is miraculous.

Eartl Turner said...

Just got back from an amazing adventure on North Brother Island

left a Geocache for the more experienced explorer as well:
http://textuploader.com/oy0z

This piece of history will soon disappear by the hands of the City and some greedy wealthy investor with the excuse for another "wonderful" and safe "public" place to be enjoyed by the new yorkers.

All that glitters is not gold.

Good Luck.
E.T.
earlturner@safe-mail.net