Arrival

On June 15, 2000, I, and a group of some 60 historians and genealogists, visited Hart Island, taking advantage of a tour provided by the New York Correction History Society.

Although nearly summer, the day was cool and overcast with low fog drifting over the waters of Long Island Sound.  A small ferry brought us the short distance across the strait, to the mist-shrouded shores of Hart island.

Unlike many other coastal islands, there are no resorts here, no expensive houses or manicured beaches, only silence, a handful of guards and a looming sign which reads: "Prison, Keep Off!".