19th Century Public Use and Dumping

In the mid-19th century, South Brother Island served as New York City’s first municipal dump under Alfred W. White, head of public health. Garbage, manure, animal remains, and refuse from the city were sent to the island, impacting nearby country estates and the shoreline villages of Queens. Opposition from local communities led the Queens County Supreme Court to halt dumping operations. The island’s role as a refuse site reflected changing urban public health priorities during the city’s rapid growth.

Access Prohibited to General Public

Access and Public Status

South Brother Island remains closed to the general public to protect its fragile ecosystems. Access is reserved mostly for researchers, conservationists, and restoration workers. Its continued status as untouched habitat is due to concerted efforts by environmental organizations and city agencies to safeguard the site from urban development and recreational overuse.

Civil War Military Outpost

During the American Civil War (circa 1861–1865), South Brother Island was reputedly used as a base or holding site for Union soldiers stationed throughout New York Harbor. While most military activity was concentrated on nearby North Brother Island and other larger locations, occasional encampments and supply landings occurred on South Brother as well. This early military use forms part of the island’s “Private Ownership and Jacob Ruppert Era” narrative, preceding its baseball and resort history.

Ecological Refuge and Failed Development

Throughout the 20th century, South Brother Island remained largely abandoned, with only a handful of ownership transfers. In 1975, the island was sold for $10 to Hampton Scows Inc., a Long Island investment company, which kept up with property taxes but never developed the land. The lack of human habitation allowed local flora and fauna to flourish, creating an unintended ecological refuge in the heart of the urban East River.

Indigenous and Colonial Beginnings

South Brother Island, along with North Brother Island, was originally inhabited by the Lenape people and was claimed for the Dutch West India Company in 1614, named De Gesellen ("the companions") by navigator Adriaen Block. In the late 1600s, the British took control, and the islands were granted to James Graham in 1695. They remained largely undeveloped due to treacherous currents in the East River, and for a time, were incorporated into Queens County before ultimately becoming part of the Bronx in 1964.

Jacob Ruppet, Baseball, and Summer House

In 1894, brewery and Yankees magnate Jacob Ruppert purchased the island intending to build a summer retreat and develop baseball fields. Ruppert hosted notable teams, including the Cuban Giants and traveling African-American ball clubs, and even Yankees legend Babe Ruth is said to have practiced batting here. The summer house served as a social hub for baseball and political figures of the era. Tragically, Ruppert’s home burned down in 1909, and with the loss, regular sporting activities ceased. This section deepens the “Private Ownership and Jacob Ruppert Era” and sits at the heart of the island’s Gilded Age identity.

Prohibition-Era Smuggling and Crime History

During the 1920s and early 1930s Prohibition period, South Brother Island and its seclusion made it attractive for bootleggers and rum-runners smuggling liquor into New York. While North Brother played a bigger role in quarantine and crime, rumors persist of speedboats anchoring near South Brother Island under cover of darkness, unloading cargo for speakeasies across the city. The area’s treacherous currents and relative isolation provided smugglers strategic advantage, leading to frequent Coast Guard patrols and occasional arrests. This lore fits within the “Ecological Refuge and Failed Development” era, before wildlife sanctuary designation.

The General Slocum Disatser

On 15 June 1904, the steamship PS General Slocum, chartered for a church outing by St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, caught fire in the East River near South and North Brother Islands. Of 1,358 passengers (mostly women and children), over 1,021 died from fire or drowning, making this New York’s deadliest maritime disaster until 9/11. Bodies were recovered and temporarily brought to South Brother Island before transfer to city morgues, marking the island as a witness to one of New York’s great tragedies.

Wildlife Sanctuary and Conservation

In November 2007, the Trust for Public Land acquired the island using $2 million in federal grants, allocated via efforts by local nonprofits and Congressman José Serrano. The land was immediately donated to NYC Parks, making South Brother Island the 13th island under their jurisdiction. Today, the Parks Department and the Bronx Zoo manage it as a bird and wildlife sanctuary, serving as a key nesting site for wading birds and herons and forming part of the city’s “Forever Wild” preserves.

S. Brother

Island

HISTORY AND CULTURE

Major

Aspects

Of The

Islands

Uncover the unique character and hidden corners of the harbor.

Community Organizations

Trust for Public Land

HarborLAB

NUC Audubon / NYC Bird Alliance

NYC Department of Parks & Recreation

Harbor Herons Project

Articles and Books

North and South Brother Islands Designated: September 15, 1992 - New York State Department of State PDF

The Strange New York Island That's Completely Abandoned - YouTube, 2025

Harbor Heron Islands - Habitat Protection - NYC Bird Alliance

Cruise Offers Forgotten History of Abandoned NYC Islands - New York Post

Urban Environmentalist NYC: Brother Islands' History Revealed - Bob Guskind Blog

City Claims Final Private Island in East River - The New York Times, 2007

Access to North and South Brother Islands Still in Question - Bronx Ink

North and South Brother Islands (New York City) Facts for Kids - Kiddle Encyclopedia

North and South Brother Islands (New York City) - Urban Environmentalist NYC, Shelley Nolden

The Strange Link between the New York Yankees and South Brother Island - Bowery Boys History

Email from K. Jacob Ruppet Regarding Brother Islands

The Other Island of New York City; Chapter 14

NYC Islands