| Revision as of 15:46, 5 October 2011 edit167.219.88.140 (talk) →Name← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 17:06, 25 November 2024 edit undoEpicgenius (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Page movers, File movers, IP block exemptions, Mass message senders, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers330,016 editsm Changing short description from "Small island, part of the Pelham Islands, in the Bronx, New York" to "Island in the Bronx, New York"Tag: Shortdesc helper | ||
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| {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2019}} | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| {{Seealso|Rat Island (disambiguation)}} | |||
| {{Short description|Island in the Bronx, New York}} | |||
| {{Infobox islands | |||
| | name = Rat Island | |||
| | image_name = Rat island.JPG | |||
| | image_caption = Rat Island in 2006, as seen from ] | |||
| | image_size = 250px | |||
| | map = USA New York City | |||
| | map_caption = | |||
| | native_name = | |||
| | native_name_link = | |||
| | nickname = | |||
| | location = ] | |||
| ⚫ | | coordinates = {{coord|40|51|18|N|73|46|51|W|display=inline,title}} | ||
| | archipelago = | |||
| | total_islands = | |||
| | major_islands = | |||
| | area_acre = 2.5 | |||
| | highest_mount = | |||
| | elevation_ft = | |||
| | country = United States | |||
| | country_admin_divisions_title = State | |||
| | country_admin_divisions = ] | |||
| | country_admin_divisions_title_1 = City | |||
| | country_admin_divisions_1 = ] | |||
| | country_admin_divisions_title_2 = ] | |||
| | country_admin_divisions_2 = ] | |||
| | country_largest_city = | |||
| | country_largest_city_population = | |||
| | population = | |||
| | population_as_of = | |||
| | density_sqmi = | |||
| | ethnic_groups = | |||
| | additional_info = | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Rat Island''' is a privately owned island in ]. It is approximately {{convert|2.5|acres}} in size and located in ], which is a part of ]. It is about halfway between ] and ] and south of ]. It is one of ]. | '''Rat Island''' is a privately owned island in ]. It is approximately {{convert|2.5|acres}} in size and located in ], which is a part of ]. It is about halfway between ] and ] and south of ]. It is one of ]. | ||
| ==Description== | ==Description== | ||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| The small irregular island is about {{convert|2.5|acre|ha}} in area.<ref name="DN033009" /> It has a dual-humped appearance and is mostly a lump of ] ]. There is a small channel that cuts into the bedrock on the southern side of the tiny island that was used for launching small boats. This channel is filled with ] shells. There is a purple-bluish "beach" made of mussel shells mixed with bird bones on the west side of the island with some reed grass. |
The small irregular island is about {{convert|2.5|acre|ha}} in area.<ref name="DN033009">{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/bronx/2009/03/24/2009-03-24_for_enough_cheese_rat_island_is_yours_fa-2.html |title=For enough cheese, Rat Island is yours: Family wants 300G for spot near City Island |last=Samuels |first=Tanyanika |date=March 24, 2009 |newspaper=Daily News |location=New York |access-date=2009-03-30}}</ref> It has a dual-humped appearance and is mostly a lump of ] ]. There is a small channel that cuts into the bedrock on the southern side of the tiny island that was used for launching small boats. This channel is filled with ] shells. There is a purple-bluish "beach" made of mussel shells mixed with bird bones on the west side of the island with some reed grass. | ||
| ⚫ | The highest point on the island is usually covered in gull bird ] and is underwater during high tide storms. ]s have been seen on the island.{{cn|date=July 2024}} | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| Rat Island was included in the purchase by ] in 1654. During the typhoid fever scares of the 1800s, Rat Island was used by ] as a ] ] hospital for about 40 infected people called the "Pelham Pesthouse".<ref name="NYCGuide"> p.551, ''New York City Guide'', Federal Writers' Project, 1939.</ref> The remains of cobblestone walls and foundations are still there. It was abandoned due to storm floods. Local legends say there was also a ] for a while.{{Citation needed|date=December 2008}} |
Rat Island was included in the purchase by ] in 1654. During the typhoid fever scares of the 1800s, Rat Island was used by ], as a ] ] hospital for about 40 infected people called the "Pelham Pesthouse".<ref name="NYCGuide"> p.551, ''New York City Guide'', Federal Writers' Project, 1939.</ref> The remains of cobblestone walls and foundations are still there. It was abandoned due to storm floods. Local legends say there was also a ] for a while.{{Citation needed|date=December 2008}} | ||
| New York City purchased the island in 1888. It became a mini |
New York City purchased the island in 1888. It became a mini-colony for writers and artists in the early 20th century. It was bought by Dr. H. A. Parmentier in 1908. He subsequently leased the island to the Mount Vernon Club in 1931.<ref name="NYCGuide"/> | ||
| It was owned by a Brooklyn lawyer until 1972 when it was sold to Edmund "Red" Brennen. He said he bought it to do salvage work and store equipment. For many years crane buckets and lattice booms and other equipment were visible.<ref name="DN033009" |
It was owned by a Brooklyn lawyer until 1972 when it was sold to Edmund "Red" Brennen. He said he bought it to do salvage work and store equipment. For many years crane buckets and lattice booms and other equipment were visible.<ref name="DN033009"/> In March 2009 Brennen put Rat Island up for sale for $300,000. On September 26, 2011, ''The New York Times'' published an article about the island, stating the property would go up for auction on October 2, 2011.<ref>{{cite news|last=Cardwell|first=Diane|title=No Traffic, No Noise, on an Island Off the Bronx|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/27/nyregion/no-traffic-no-noise-on-an-island-off-the-bronx.html|access-date=2011-09-26|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 26, 2011}}</ref> It was sold at that auction for $160,000 to 71-year-old retired Port Authority worker Alex Schibli, a Swiss<ref name="Swissinfo">{{cite news|last=Kuenzi|first=Renat|title=Tell gets his Big Apple|url=http://www.swissinfo.ch/directdemocracy/swiss-national-day_tell-gets-his-big-apple/42339436|access-date=2016-08-01|newspaper=Swissinfo.ch|date=July 31, 2016}}</ref> resident of nearby ].<ref>{{cite news|last=Zeveloff|first=Julie|title=Someone Actually Paid $160,000 For A 'Lump Of Rock' Called Rat Island|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/rat-island-new-york-sells-2011-10|access-date=October 4, 2011|newspaper=Business Insider|date=October 3, 2011}}</ref> Schibli said he has no immediate plans for physical changes to the island, but is considering renaming it Malina Island after his granddaughter.<ref>, CBS New York via Yahoo News, October 4, 2011, accessed October 5, 2011, retrieved October 5, 2011.</ref> | ||
| In summer months, |
In summer months, a couple dozen people may come to the island. In the past, during summer the Parks Department used to put waste drums so they may contain their garbage. Sometimes, the local first responders use it to practice rescue missions with boats and helicopters.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} | ||
| In August 2016, a polyester copy of the statue of the Swiss freedom fighter ] was erected on the island for the 725th ]. The original is located in ], ].<ref name=Swissinfo/> In March 2017, Schibli was sued unsuccessfully in a ''People's Court'' episode for fees charged by an engineer whom he asked to give an estimate on what was needed to put a more permanent statue of William Tell on the island.<ref>People's Court S20, Ep99, March 16, 2017{{full citation needed|date=September 2018}}</ref> | |||
| ==Name== | ==Name== | ||
| It is not known how the island received its name. It has been proposed by Red Brennan and others including former prison workers that prisoners escaping from Hart Island nearby, nicknamed "rats", used the small island to rest before swimming on to City Island and freedom.<ref name="DN033009" |
It is not known how the island received its name. It has been proposed by Red Brennan and others including former prison workers that prisoners escaping from Hart Island nearby, nicknamed "rats", used the small island to rest before swimming on to City Island and freedom.<ref name="DN033009"/><ref name="NYCGuide"/> Another theory is that when the island housed typhoid victims in the 19th century it presumably attracted vermin.<ref></ref> | ||
| According to Schibli, the island's original name was "Rattle Island," because rattling noisemakers were used to ward off ships.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/video/this-guy-owns-his-own-island-in-new-york-city/|title=This guy owns his own island in New York City|date=2018-09-20|website=New York Post|language=en|access-date=2019-08-26}}</ref> | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| Line 22: | Line 64: | ||
| ==Further reading== | ==Further reading== | ||
| *{{cite book |author=Bill Twomey |title=The Bronx: In Bits and Pieces - Rat Island | url= |
* {{cite book |author=Bill Twomey |title=The Bronx: In Bits and Pieces - Rat Island | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WeVTP3GyFH0C&pg=PA89 |publisher=Rooftop Publishing |year=2007 |pages=89 |isbn=978-1-60008-062-3 }} | ||
| * p. 551, ''New York City Guide'', Federal Writers' Project, 1939. | * p. 551, ''New York City Guide'', Federal Writers' Project, 1939. | ||
| ==External links== | |||
| ⚫ | {{coord|40|51|18|N|73|46|51|W|display=title |
||
| * | |||
| {{New York City Islands}} | {{New York City Islands}} | ||
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| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
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| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 17:06, 25 November 2024
See also: Rat Island (disambiguation) Island in the Bronx, New York
 Rat Island in 2006, as seen from City Island | |
  Rat Island | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Long Island Sound |
| Coordinates | 40°51′18″N 73°46′51″W / 40.85500°N 73.78083°W / 40.85500; -73.78083 |
| Area | 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) |
| Administration | |
| United States | |
| State | New York |
| City | New York City |
| Borough | The Bronx |
Rat Island is a privately owned island in New York City. It is approximately 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) in size and located in City Island Harbor, which is a part of Long Island Sound. It is about halfway between City Island and Hart Island and south of High Island. It is one of the Pelham Islands.
Description
The small irregular island is about 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) in area. It has a dual-humped appearance and is mostly a lump of Manhattan schist bedrock. There is a small channel that cuts into the bedrock on the southern side of the tiny island that was used for launching small boats. This channel is filled with mussel shells. There is a purple-bluish "beach" made of mussel shells mixed with bird bones on the west side of the island with some reed grass.
The highest point on the island is usually covered in gull bird guano and is underwater during high tide storms. Great blue herons have been seen on the island.
History
Rat Island was included in the purchase by Thomas Pell in 1654. During the typhoid fever scares of the 1800s, Rat Island was used by Pelham, New York, as a typhoid quarantine hospital for about 40 infected people called the "Pelham Pesthouse". The remains of cobblestone walls and foundations are still there. It was abandoned due to storm floods. Local legends say there was also a lighthouse for a while.
New York City purchased the island in 1888. It became a mini-colony for writers and artists in the early 20th century. It was bought by Dr. H. A. Parmentier in 1908. He subsequently leased the island to the Mount Vernon Club in 1931.
It was owned by a Brooklyn lawyer until 1972 when it was sold to Edmund "Red" Brennen. He said he bought it to do salvage work and store equipment. For many years crane buckets and lattice booms and other equipment were visible. In March 2009 Brennen put Rat Island up for sale for $300,000. On September 26, 2011, The New York Times published an article about the island, stating the property would go up for auction on October 2, 2011. It was sold at that auction for $160,000 to 71-year-old retired Port Authority worker Alex Schibli, a Swiss resident of nearby City Island. Schibli said he has no immediate plans for physical changes to the island, but is considering renaming it Malina Island after his granddaughter.
In summer months, a couple dozen people may come to the island. In the past, during summer the Parks Department used to put waste drums so they may contain their garbage. Sometimes, the local first responders use it to practice rescue missions with boats and helicopters.
In August 2016, a polyester copy of the statue of the Swiss freedom fighter William Tell was erected on the island for the 725th Swiss National Day. The original is located in Altdorf, Uri, Switzerland. In March 2017, Schibli was sued unsuccessfully in a People's Court episode for fees charged by an engineer whom he asked to give an estimate on what was needed to put a more permanent statue of William Tell on the island.
Name
It is not known how the island received its name. It has been proposed by Red Brennan and others including former prison workers that prisoners escaping from Hart Island nearby, nicknamed "rats", used the small island to rest before swimming on to City Island and freedom. Another theory is that when the island housed typhoid victims in the 19th century it presumably attracted vermin.
According to Schibli, the island's original name was "Rattle Island," because rattling noisemakers were used to ward off ships.
References
- ^ Samuels, Tanyanika (March 24, 2009). "For enough cheese, Rat Island is yours: Family wants 300G for spot near City Island". Daily News. New York. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
- ^ Rat Island p.551, New York City Guide, Federal Writers' Project, 1939.
- Cardwell, Diane (September 26, 2011). "No Traffic, No Noise, on an Island Off the Bronx". The New York Times. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
- ^ Kuenzi, Renat (July 31, 2016). "Tell gets his Big Apple". Swissinfo.ch. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
- Zeveloff, Julie (October 3, 2011). "Someone Actually Paid $160,000 For A 'Lump Of Rock' Called Rat Island". Business Insider. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
- Bronx man buys ‘Rat Island’ for $160,000, CBS New York via Yahoo News, October 4, 2011, accessed October 5, 2011, retrieved October 5, 2011.
- People's Court S20, Ep99, March 16, 2017
- Rat Island gets new owner, might get new name
- "This guy owns his own island in New York City". New York Post. September 20, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
Further reading
- Bill Twomey (2007). The Bronx: In Bits and Pieces - Rat Island. Rooftop Publishing. p. 89. ISBN 978-1-60008-062-3.
- Rat Island p. 551, New York City Guide, Federal Writers' Project, 1939.
External links
| Islands of New York City | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major islands |  | ||||
| Pelham Islands | |||||
| New York Bay |
| ||||
| Jamaica Bay | |||||
| North River (Hudson River) | |||||
| Former islands shown in italics | |||||