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| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| Rat Island was included in the purchase by ] in 1654. | Rat Island was included in the purchase by ] in 1654. | ||
| In the 1800s Rat Island was used for a ] ] hospital for about 40 infected people as well as the "Pelham pesthouse" during the yellow fever scares.<ref> 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.{{ |
In the 1800s Rat Island was used for a ] ] hospital for about 40 infected people as well as the "Pelham pesthouse" during the yellow fever scares.<ref> 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.{{Fact|date=December 2008}} New York City purchased the island in 1888. It was bought by Dr. H.A. Parmentier in 1908. He subsequently leased the island to the Mount Vernon Club in 1931. | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 15:41, 5 December 2008
- This article is about the island in New York. For the island in Alaska, see Rat Island (Alaska).
Rat Island is a tiny island approximately half an acre in size located in City Island Harbor which is a part of Long Island Sound, near New York City. 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 has an odd dual humped appearance and is mostly a lump of Manhattan schist bedrock. There is a small channel known as Devil's Path 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 on the west side of the island with some reed grass.
History
Rat Island was included in the purchase by Thomas Pell in 1654. In the 1800s Rat Island was used for a typhoid quarantine hospital for about 40 infected people as well as the "Pelham pesthouse" during the yellow fever scares. 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 was bought by Dr. H.A. Parmentier in 1908. He subsequently leased the island to the Mount Vernon Club in 1931.
References
- Rat Island p.551, New York City Guide, Federal Writers' Project, 1939.
40°51′18″N 73°46′51″W / 40.85500°N 73.78083°W / 40.85500; -73.78083
| Islands of New York City | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major islands |  | ||||
| Pelham Islands | |||||
| New York Bay |
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| Jamaica Bay | |||||
| North River (Hudson River) | |||||
| Former islands shown in italics | |||||