NYC Department of Parks & Recreation announced on Nov. 15 the launch of free public tours to Hart Island, the City’s public cemetery and final resting place of over one million individuals. Seemingly shrouded in mystery, it is the largest public cemetery in the country and has served New York City since 1869.

 

Hart Island garnered extra attention when, during a wave of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic, leaked aerial images of mass burials on the island shocked and saddened New Yorkers. Parks’ officials said the tours have been launched in an effort to increase access to the island, reduce historical stigmas surrounding its past, and educate the public about its role as an important piece of City infrastructure.

 

They said since Nov. 21, NYC Parks’ Urban Park Rangers have been offering free walking tours of the island twice per month. Registration is required through an online form, and participants are selected by lottery. All public history tours are carried out on foot and last around two and a half hours, with ferry transportation provided to and from the island, Parks officials said.

 

NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said her team was thrilled to begin offering the public history tours which she said allow New Yorkers an intimate look at the island for the very first time. “Our Urban Park Rangers have created informative and reflective programming that highlights the island’s important role in New York City history,” Donoghue said.

 

The commissioner continued, “As Hart Island will continue to be the City’s main burial ground for the foreseeable future, we’re also pleased to unveil, in collaboration with sister agencies, the positive improvements and beautification efforts that have taken place to improve the experience at gravesite visits for those visiting loved ones buried on the island. I encourage New Yorkers to join the Urban Park Rangers to explore Hart Island’s unique past, present, and future.”

While Hart Island is currently only used for city burials, Parks officials said the island has had many uses since the 19th century, including as a quarantine station, a psychiatric hospital, a tuberculosis ward, a reform school, a homeless shelter, a rehabilitation facility, a military base, and a jail.

 

In 2021, management of Hart Island was transferred from NYC Department of Correction to NYC Parks and NYC Human Resources Association (HRA). Parks officials said the City is committed to ensuring that the public has access to Hart Island and has several services available to help individuals find and visit their loved ones on the island.

 

In an effort to make the island safe for guests and improve the visitor experience, they said major upgrades have been made since the transfer of jurisdiction, including the demolition of aging buildings, planting of new trees, and additional beautification efforts.

 

They said HRA, which manages burials and landscaping on the island, has created more navigable conditions by clearing overgrowth that blocked grave plots for decades, and constructed a landscaped area with seating near the island’s ferry dock.

 

In addition, they said NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) recently completed a $32 million project to remove old structures from the island. Officials said DDC is also performing stabilization work on the island’s historic chapel.

 

City officials say if someone was buried at Hart Island before 1977, their death certificate will say “City Burial” or “Hart Island” in the burial information. They said New Yorkers can obtain a copy of a death certificate from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene or from the City’s Municipal Archives, depending on the year of death. The records available online only have information for burials after 1976.

 

More information on Hart Island, including gravesite visits and locating a loved one’s burial location, can be found here.

New York Attorney General Letitia James released a report in 2021 on the response [in relation to the care of nursing home patients and the management of nursing homes] to the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing homes, where many seniors died since March 2020. Read our story on that report here. As reported, annual memorial events have been held locally in recent years to remember those lost to COVID-19.

 

Below is a list of the upcoming public tour dates:

• December 5, 2023
• December 19, 2023
• January 16, 2024
• January 30, 2024
• February 13, 2024
• February 27, 2024
• March 12, 2024
• March 26, 2024
• April 9, 2024
• April 23, 2024
• May 14, 2024
• May 28, 2024

 

Parks department officials said the tours will encompass the history of the island, including how it became a municipal cemetery, wildlife and natural aspects, the burial process, and island advocacy.

 

More information on public Hart Island tours can be found here.