Hart Island
Hart Island
3
About
No visitors are allowed on this 101-acre, uninhabited island, home to Potter's Field, the City Cemetery of New York, where more than 800,000 unidentified bodies are buried.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
3.0
9 reviews
Excellent
2
Very good
2
Average
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Terrible
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Janet D
Connecticut55 contributions
Jul 2011 • Solo
One cannot visit Hart Island except under special circumstances. It is the cemetery for the poor, the unknown and the unclaimed. In the old days, these cemeteries were called "Potter's Fields" I understand that the Department of Corrections takes care of the island's burials and maintenance, using labor from the prison population and other employees.The Hart Island Ferry is moored at a dock down one of the streets on City Island. A white monument was erected there that acknowledges the various faiths of those interred there. It is a very poignant sentinel that acknowledges the humanity of those that are buried there. I'd like to know how one finds information about a family member buried there.
Written June 18, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
ANTHONY R
Bronx, New York29 contributions
Sep 2013 • Solo
This is a potter's field. It is not open to the public. Over decades upwards of 700,000 indigent city residents have been buried there in plain pine boxes. The bodies are ferried there from the foot of Fordham Street on City Island. The gravediggers are inmates from Rikers Island, the NYC prison.
Written January 22, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Joe P
New York City, NY503 contributions
Potters field cemetary for impoverished people what could be more depressing ?
Written March 11, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
anon943
nyc37 contributions
Oct 2015 • Business
The grounds of this well known, but until recently not readily accessible sacred space, are a visit back in history. Our treasured Potters' Field is open to all.
Written November 23, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Base S
15 contributions
Oct 2019
As an Island that has gone through many transformations, this island is best used as it is: a burial ground for indigent and poor people who die in NYC.
Written October 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
doreenb605
Yonkers15 contributions
Oct 2014 • Family
its potters field graves for john and Jane Doe no food or attractions just graves better off going to Woodlawn if you like cemetery's
Written September 1, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
thelmantimestwo
Fairfield, CT232 contributions
Apr 2013 • Friends
a great piece of NYC history....you can only see the island, you are not allowed to go on it and NY's finest are protecting it as well, but it is worth getting a look-see if you can...
Written January 11, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Plunkett07
New York City, NY169 contributions
Sep 2018 • Family
It has a long history going back to the Revolutionary War, but mostly it was used as a storehouse for troubled boys, the insane and unclaimed bodies. Plus you can't go there. Recently there were calls to develop it but no one really wants to live in a Potters Field. So don't even think about it.
Written September 26, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
