It quarantined patients with communicable diseases, including Typhoid Mary.
It housed drug-addicted teenagers and was the site of New York’s deadliest disaster until September 11th . Over the years, it has been targeted as a possible location for a homeless shelter, a prison and a dump.
Island paradise it’s not. Still, North Brother Island is, to me, the most arrestingly unique spot in the five boroughs. It has me yearning to return, and hoping one day the public will be given the same chance.