A fascinating video takes viewers on a journey to one of New York’s little-known forbidden islands, which has been slowly falling into disrepair.
YouTube Creator Two feet in the open air We kayaked to North Brother Island, which is located in Hell Gate, a dangerous section of the East River between the Bronx and Riker’s Island.
After leaving your boat, you head to the shore to explore the interior of the outcrop, where many red brick buildings still remain from its past as a quarantine station and temporary home for World War II veterans.
As he makes out a path, he comments on how overgrown it is and how there is…‘There’s so much ivy everywhere.’
He adds: “There is no easy way to explore this island and these buildings. It’s like walking through the woods most of the time.”
YouTube creator Two Feet Outdoors kayaked to North Brother Island, which is located in Hell Gate, a dangerous section of the East River between the Bronx and Riker’s Island.
After leaving his boat, he heads to the coast to explore the interior of the outcrop, where many red brick buildings still remain from its past as a quarantine station.
The abandoned buildings are clearly visible from the shoreline, and as the content creator gets closer to them, he says they look especially “creepy” peeking out from between the trees.
The video shows the urban explorer entering some buildings, with their insides in a sorry state.
You can see paint peeling off the walls, windows broken and ceiling beams falling down.
At one point, the camera pans out to show what appears to be an old auditorium with rows of rotting seats and a dilapidated stage, while another shot looks inside a bathroom with the words “Teachers” still visible on the door.
The cameraman also decides to venture into the basement of one of the buildings, but finds the underground space completely flooded.
North Brother Island has been closed to the public for over 60 years.
Opened as a quarantine centre in 1885, it once housed hundreds of patients, including the infamous “Typhoid Mary” (the first healthy carrier of any disease ever identified) who spent years confined to its desolate woods.
As he spots a path, he comments on how overgrown it is and that there is “so much ivy everywhere.”
“There is no easy way to explore this island and these buildings. It’s a walk through the woods most of the time.”
One shot shows the inside of a bathroom with the words “Masters” still visible on the door.
Its first inhabitants were those unfortunate patients with contagious diseases such as smallpox, tuberculosis, scarlet fever and leprosy, who were forcibly removed from the crowded streets of the city and sent to live out the rest of their lives on the desolate little island, located just 350 yards off the South Bronx.
As the 20th century began, city officials made a desperate attempt to clean up North Brother with better buildings and better care.
The island was primarily a home for tuberculosis patients and those suffering from venereal diseases.
In 1942 it closed for the first time before being used to house World War II veterans studying in the city.
But this idea was quickly abandoned.
In 1952 it underwent its final transformation, housing an experimental program for the treatment of juvenile drug addicts.
When this too failed, the Northern Brotherhood was left to the ravages of time and since 1963 has been abandoned and largely forgotten.
To date, Two Feet Outdoors’ video tour of North Brother Island has been viewed over 20,000 times, with many viewers thanking him for sharing his adventure.
Protected birds are its only inhabitants and the waters surrounding the island are patrolled by armed coastguards.
To visit the island it is necessary to obtain a permit in advance.
Protected birds are now its only inhabitants and the waters around the island are patrolled by armed coastguards who ensure the sanctity of the former quarantine zone is never violated.
To visit the island it is necessary to obtain a permit in advance.
New York City Parks Notes: We do not visit or allow visits to the island between March 21 and September 21, due to the shorebird breeding season.
‘The best time to visit North Brother Island is during the fall, before winter weather sets in and conditions become harsh.’
To date, Two Feet Outdoors’ video tour of North Brother Island has been viewed over 20,000 times, with many viewers thanking him for sharing his adventure.
One viewer wrote: “That building with the flooded basement could EASILY be the set of a horror movie.”
While another commenter noted: “We live in New York and often take the ferry and wonder what that island will be like as we pass by. Be careful of the currents.”