HART ISLAND, NEW YORK – APRIL 16: Landscape views, seen through the window of a bus shuttling family members to the grave site of relatives, of Hart Island, New York Citys burial grounds for the poor, unknown, and unclaimed. April 16, 2023, as seen from City Island in the Bronx, New York. For years under the supervision of the Department of Corrections, the island has been inaccessible to New Yorkers, but a new stewardship by the Department of Parks is now offering visitation for family members with loved ones buried on the island, with eventual plans to open the island to the public.
For the first time ever, New York City will be offering free public tours of a rarely visited island that is home to the final resting place of over a million people.
Hart Island, near City Island off the coastline of the Bronx, holds the largest public cemetery in the country. And now there will be free tours organized by the Urban Park Rangers that will give people a chance to explore parts of the island and learn about its history.
The walking tours will be offered twice a month starting Nov. 21. Spots on the tours will be chosen via a lottery system.
Those interesting in registering can do so on the NYC Parks Department website.
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