New York City’s Secret Ghost Island

Hidden in the East River lies a desolate, uninhabited island that once served as a quarantine zone for deadly diseases. Today, North Brother Island is strictly off-limits to humans and serves as a protected sanctuary for birds.

This overgrown patch of land holds the decaying ruins of the Riverside Hospital, where patients with illnesses like smallpox and tuberculosis were once isolated. After the facility closed, the island was abandoned to the elements and slowly reclaimed by thick forests. It remains one of the few places in New York City where nature has completely taken back the urban landscape. Visitors are generally prohibited to ensure the nesting ground remains a safe haven for local water birds.