South Brother Island
Encyclopedia
South Brother Island is one of a pair of small islands in the East River
situated between the Bronx
and Riker's Island, New York City
and containing 7 acres (28,328 m²) of land. The other island, larger and better known, is North Brother Island
. It is uninhabited. Until 1964, South Brother Island was part of Queens County
, but it is now part of Bronx County. It had long been privately owned, but was purchased by the city in 2007. Together, the two Brother Islands, North and South, have a land area of 81,423 square meters, or 20.12 acres (81,422.8 m²).
in 1614 and both were originally named "De Gesellen". (The term was translated as "the companions.")
Jacob Ruppert
, a brewery magnate and early owner of the New York Yankees
(responsible for bringing Babe Ruth
to the New York Yankees from the Boston Red Sox
), had a summer house on the island that burned down in 1909. No one has lived on the island since then. There are no structures extant.
Ruppert owned the Island until the late 1930s. In 1944 it was purchased by John Gerosa, president of the Metropolitan Roofing Supply Company, who intended to build a summer retreat for his workers on the island. This did not come to pass.
In 1975 the City sold South Brother Island to Hampton Scows Inc., a Long Island investment company, for $10.
Hampton Scows dutifully paid property taxes every year but did not develop the island. In November 2007, the City of New York purchased the island for $2,000,000 using Federal money. The city plans to preserve it as a wildlife sanctuary. It will be managed by the City's Parks Department and the Bronx Zoo
.
, Great Egret
, Snowy Egret
, and Double-crested Cormorant
.
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
situated between the Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
and Riker's Island, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and containing 7 acres (28,328 m²) of land. The other island, larger and better known, is North Brother Island
North Brother Island
North Brother Island is an island in the East River situated between the Bronx and Riker's Island. Its companion, South Brother Island, is a short distance away. Together, the two Brother Islands, North and South, have a land area of .-History:...
. It is uninhabited. Until 1964, South Brother Island was part of Queens County
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, but it is now part of Bronx County. It had long been privately owned, but was purchased by the city in 2007. Together, the two Brother Islands, North and South, have a land area of 81,423 square meters, or 20.12 acres (81,422.8 m²).
History
Both North Brother Island and South Brother Island were claimed by the Dutch West India CompanyDutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
in 1614 and both were originally named "De Gesellen". (The term was translated as "the companions.")
Jacob Ruppert
Jacob Ruppert
Jacob Ruppert, Jr. , sometimes referred to as Jake Ruppert, was a National Guard colonel; a U.S. Representative from New York; and brewery owner, who went on to own the New York Yankees...
, a brewery magnate and early owner of the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
(responsible for bringing Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
to the New York Yankees from the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
), had a summer house on the island that burned down in 1909. No one has lived on the island since then. There are no structures extant.
Ruppert owned the Island until the late 1930s. In 1944 it was purchased by John Gerosa, president of the Metropolitan Roofing Supply Company, who intended to build a summer retreat for his workers on the island. This did not come to pass.
In 1975 the City sold South Brother Island to Hampton Scows Inc., a Long Island investment company, for $10.
Hampton Scows dutifully paid property taxes every year but did not develop the island. In November 2007, the City of New York purchased the island for $2,000,000 using Federal money. The city plans to preserve it as a wildlife sanctuary. It will be managed by the City's Parks Department and the Bronx Zoo
Bronx Zoo
The Bronx Zoo is located in the Bronx borough of New York City, within Bronx Park. It is the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States, comprising of park lands and naturalistic habitats, through which the Bronx River flows....
.
Wildlife
The island's dense brush supports a major nesting colony of several species of birds, notably Black-crowned Night HeronBlack-crowned Night Heron
The Black-crowned Night Heron commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia .-Description:Adults are...
, Great Egret
Great Egret
The Great Egret , also known as the Great White Egret or Common Egret, White Heron, or Great White Heron, is a large, widely-distributed egret. Distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world, in southern Europe it is rather localized...
, Snowy Egret
Snowy Egret
The Snowy Egret is a small white heron. It is the American counterpart to the very similar Old World Little Egret, which has established a foothold in the Bahamas....
, and Double-crested Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
The Double-crested Cormorant is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It occurs along inland waterways as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Florida and Mexico...
.
Further reading
- Seitz, Sharon & Miller, Stuart. (2003) The Other Islands of New York. ISBN 0-88150-502-1.
- http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-show_geoid=Y&-tree_id=4001&-_caller=geoselect&-context=dt&-errMsg=&-all_geo_types=N&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_P001&-redoLog=true&-transpose=N&-search_map_config=|b=50|l=en|t=4001|zf=0.0|ms=sel_00dec|dw=0.05330623177477046|dh=0.030289650719350046|dt=gov.census.aff.domain.map.EnglishMapExtent|if=gif|cx=-73.88421800202333|cy=40.79177413228427|zl=3|pz=3|bo=318:317:316:314:313:323:319|bl=362:393:358:357:356:355:354|ft=350:349:335:389:388:332:331|fl=381:403:204:380:369:379:368|g=01000US&-PANEL_ID=p_dt_geo_map&-_lang=en&-geo_id=100$10000US360050005009000&-CONTEXT=dt&-format=&-search_results=100$10000US360050001009001&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_UNorth Brother and South Brother Islands: Block 9000, Block Group 9, Census Tract 5, Bronx County, New York] United States Census Bureau
- The New Yorker (magazine), August 14, 1954, "Talk of the Town", Page 15, New Yorker article link
External links
- Brothers: NYC's worst maritime tragedy Photos of the islands in 2004, and images of the General SlocumGeneral SlocumThe PS General Slocum was a passenger steamboat built at Brooklyn, New York, in 1891. The General Slocum was named for Civil War officer and New York Congressman Henry Warner Slocum. She operated in the New York City area as an excursion steamer for the next thirteen years under the same ownership...
from Forgotten New York. - NYC Audubon Harbor Herons Project
- Harbor Herons Nesting Survey -recent reports on wading bird, cormorant, and gull nesting activity at South Brother Island
- NYC property tax records See Valuation/Assessment for Bronx Block 2605 Lot 35.