Rat Island (Bronx) facts for kids
Rat Island in 2006, as seen from City Island
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 Rat Island
Location in New York City
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Long Island Sound |
| Coordinates | 40°51′18″N 73°46′51″W / 40.85500°N 73.78083°W |
| Area | 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) |
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United States
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| State | New York |
| City | New York City |
| Borough | The Bronx |
Rat Island is a small, privately owned island in New York City. It is about 2.5 acres (1 hectare) in size. You can find it in City Island Harbor, which is part of Long Island Sound. The island is located between City Island and Hart Island. It is also one of the Pelham Islands.
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About Rat Island
Rat Island is a small, uneven island. It looks like it has two small hills. The island is mostly made of a type of rock called Manhattan schist.
On the south side, there is a small channel cut into the rock. This channel was once used to launch small boats. It is now filled with mussel shells. On the west side, there is a unique "beach." It has a purple-blue color because it is made of mussel shells mixed with bird bones. Some reed grass also grows there.
The highest part of the island is often covered in guano, which is bird droppings, mostly from gulls. This spot can go underwater during big storms at high tide. Large birds like Great blue herons have also been seen visiting the island.
History of Rat Island
Early Ownership and Use
Rat Island was first included in a land purchase by Thomas Pell in 1654. Later, in the 1800s, there were many scares about typhoid fever. During this time, the island was used as a special hospital. It was called the "Pelham Pesthouse." About 40 people with typhoid were sent there to be kept separate from others.
You can still see parts of old stone walls and foundations from that time. The hospital was eventually left empty because of storm floods. Some local stories also say there was a lighthouse on the island for a while.
New Owners and Uses
New York City bought Rat Island in 1888. In the early 1900s, it became a small place for writers and artists. In 1908, Dr. H. A. Parmentier bought the island. He later rented it to the Mount Vernon Club in 1931.
A lawyer from Brooklyn owned the island until 1972. Then, a man named Edmund "Red" Brennen bought it. He said he wanted to use it for salvage work and to store equipment. For many years, you could see crane parts and other equipment on the island.
Recent Sales and New Plans
In March 2009, Red Brennen put Rat Island up for sale for $300,000. On September 26, 2011, The New York Times newspaper wrote an article about the island. It said the island would be sold at an auction on October 2, 2011.
At that auction, the island was sold for $160,000. The new owner was Alex Schibli, a 71-year-old retired worker from the Port Authority. He is from Switzerland and lives nearby on City Island. Schibli said he did not have immediate plans to change the island. However, he thought about renaming it Malina Island after his granddaughter.
Island Activities Today
In the summer, a few dozen people sometimes visit Rat Island. In the past, the Parks Department used to place trash cans on the island for visitors. Sometimes, local emergency teams use the island to practice rescue missions with boats and helicopters.
In August 2016, a copy of the statue of the Swiss hero William Tell was placed on the island. This was to celebrate the 725th Swiss National Day. The original statue is in Switzerland. In March 2017, Schibli was part of a TV show called People's Court. He was sued for fees from an engineer he asked to estimate what was needed for a more permanent William Tell statue.
Why the Name "Rat Island"?
No one knows for sure how Rat Island got its name. One idea comes from Red Brennen and others, including former prison workers. They thought that prisoners escaping from nearby Hart Island, who were sometimes called "rats," might have used this small island to rest. From there, they could swim to City Island and freedom.
Another idea is that when the island was used for people with typhoid in the 1800s, it might have attracted small animals like rats.
According to Alex Schibli, the island's first name was "Rattle Island." He said this was because people used noisy rattles to warn ships away from the island.
