Hart Island Research Paper

Across the water from City Island to the Bronx in New York state, about 16 miles away from Manhattan, there is an island known as Hart Island. Hart Island is still in use to this day and should be respected for it’s purpose and it’s individuality. Have you ever thought about the millions of dead, unidentified bodies and what is done with them? That’s where Hart Island comes in.

New York State initially purchased Hart Island to use it as a Potter’s Field. A Potter’s Field is a place of burial for unidentified or poor people.The term potter’s field “refers to land purchased outside of town and comes from a passage in Matthew 27:5-7:” as stated in the book Hart Island on page 1. It is also the tenth Potter’s Field in the city’s history. The island was purchased by the Department of Charities and Correction for the purpose of setting up a workhouse for older boys from the House of Refuge on Randall’s Island.The first documented burials at Hart Island date back to May 1881. It was first used during the American Civil War 1861-1865. The burial ground is still in use to this day, however, there are some periods where there are no recorded uses or burials on the island. As stated in the educational book Hart Island on page 5, “Hart Island was a part of New York before the boroughs of Queens, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.”
Based on burial records, as many as one million people have been buried on Hart Island. Mass burials on Hart Island began in 1875. “A numbered grid system was implemented to facilitate disinterments for later identification at the morgue.”, as stated in the educational book Hart Island on page 6. In order to complete such a large amount of burials short term inmates from rikers island perform daily burials as stated on the website