A fascinating video takes viewers on a journey to one of New York’s unknown forbidden islands, which has slowly fallen into disrepair.
YouTube creator Two feet outside kayaked to North Brother Island, which is located in Hell Gate, a dangerous stretch of the East River between The Bronx and Riker’s Island.
After disembarking from his ship, he goes ashore to explore the interior of the rock formation. Here you can see many brick buildings that are left over from the past, when the area served as a quarantine station and temporary home for World War II veterans.
As he maps out a path, he notices how overgrown it is and how ‘‘There’s so much ivy everywhere.’
He adds: ‘There is no easy way to explore this island and these buildings. It’s a straight bushwhack almost the entire time.’
YouTube creator Two Feet Outdoors kayaked to North Brother Island, which is located in Hell Gate, a treacherous stretch of the East River between The Bronx and Riker’s Island
After disembarking from his ship, he heads ashore to explore the interior of the rock formation, which features many red brick buildings left over from its past as a quarantine station
From the shoreline, the dilapidated buildings are clearly visible. As the content creator gets closer, they look particularly ‘creepy’, through the trees.
The video shows the city explorer entering a number of buildings, the interiors of which are in poor condition.
You can see that the paint is peeling off the walls, the windows are broken and the ceiling beams have fallen down.
At one point the camera pans around to show what appears to be an old auditorium with rows of rotten seats and a dilapidated stage. At another point it shows a view into a restroom with the words “Teachers Men” still visible on the door.
The cameraman also decides to enter a basement of one of the buildings, but he finds a completely flooded room.
North Brother Island has been closed to the public for over 60 years.
Opened in 1885 as a quarantine centre, it was once home to hundreds of patients, including the infamous ‘Typhoid Mary’ – the first healthy carrier of the disease ever identified – who was confined to the barren woods for years.
As he maps out a path, he notes how overgrown it is and how there is ‘so much ivy everywhere’
‘There is no easy way to explore this island and these buildings. It’s a straight bushwhack, almost all the time’
One shot shows a restroom with the words “Teachers Men” still visible on the door
The first residents were the unfortunate sufferers of contagious diseases such as smallpox, tuberculosis, scarlet fever and leprosy. They were forcibly removed from the bustling streets of the city and sent to the desolate little island, just 350 yards from the South Bronx.
In the early 20th century, city authorities made desperate attempts to clean up North Brother by implementing better buildings and better care.
The island was mainly home to tuberculosis patients – and to people suffering from venereal diseases.
In 1942, the building was closed for the first time, after which it was used to house World War II veterans studying in the city.
But this idea was soon abandoned.
In 1952 it underwent its final transformation and an experimental program for the treatment of juvenile drug addicts was opened.
When this also failed, the North Brother was abandoned to the ravages of time. Since 1963 it 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 the only inhabitants and the waters around the island are patrolled by armed coastguards.
To visit the island it is necessary to apply for a permit in advance
Protected birds are now the island’s only inhabitants and the waters around the island are patrolled by armed coastguards who ensure that the security of the former quarantine zone is never breached.
To visit the island it is necessary to apply for a permit in advance.
NYC Parks Comments: ‘We do not visit the island between March 21 and September 21, due to the wading bird breeding season.
‘The best time to visit North Brother Island is in the fall, before winter sets in and conditions become challenging.’
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 location of a horror movie.’
While another commenter noted, “We live in NYC and take the ferry often and wonder what island that is as we pass by. Be careful of the currents.”