Swinburne Island facts for kids
Swinburne Island is a small, 4-acre (1.6 ha) artificial island (meaning it was built by people) located in Lower New York Bay. It sits east of Staten Island in New York City. For many years, it was used to quarantine (keep separate) immigrants who might have been sick. Swinburne Island is the smaller of two islands in this area; the other is Hoffman Island, which is a bit further north.
The Island's Story
After several serious cholera outbreaks in the 1800s, the United States government built Swinburne Island and Hoffman Island. Their main job was to act as quarantine stations. This meant that immigrants arriving by ship in the Port of New York who had or were suspected of having dangerous contagious diseases were sent here.
These islands were used from the late 1800s through the early 1900s. If immigrants were sick, they were taken to a hospital on one of these islands. They could not go to Ellis Island to enter the country until they were healthy again. Swinburne Island was even used during the last cholera outbreak in the United States in 1910–1911. This outbreak started with a passenger who arrived from Naples.
Swinburne Island was built second, about a mile south of Hoffman Island. It even had a crematorium (a place to cremate bodies). The island was first called Dix Island. Later, it was renamed to honor Dr. John Swinburne (1820–1899). He was a military surgeon during the American Civil War.
During World War I, fewer people were moving to the United States. Also, a law called the Immigration Act of 1923 greatly reduced immigration from some parts of Europe. By this time, doctors and scientists had also learned better ways to control infectious diseases. Because of these changes, the quarantine facilities on the islands were not used as much.
By the start of World War II, the islands found a new purpose. The United States Merchant Marine (which trains sailors for cargo ships) turned both islands into a training station. This training station had opened in 1938. They even built extra quonset huts (a type of lightweight building), some of which are still standing today.
Swinburne Island Today
Today, both Hoffman Island (which is 11 acres) and Swinburne Island (4 acres) are managed by the National Park Service. They are part of the Staten Island Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. These islands are not open for people to visit.
In recent years, Swinburne Island has become a very popular spot for harbor seals and grey seals. These seals come to the island to rest out of the water. The number of both types of seals living in Lower New York Harbor has been growing every year.
