Obscura Day Excursion to Dead Horse Bay

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Photo by Adrian Kinloch

On March 20, Underwater New York led a group of curious folks to what is fast becoming one of our favorite places in all of New York. For the first ever Obscura Day, a day of coordinated excursions to unusual sites around the world, we ventured back to Dead Horse Bay, once-home to such UNY celebrities as Kangamouse, Partial Mermaid and the rest of the gang from our team up with Significant Objects earlier this year. For this trip, we dug a little deeper into the history of what was once Barren Island, and discovered a place with a tantalizing past that goes beyond its history as the city’s dumping grounds … We’re sure to return again to this living unofficial archaeological site to probe what remains of eras past and see what stories might surface. In the meantime, here are a few choice New York Times headlines from the past 150 years to whet your appetite:

February 12, 1874: Invasion of Barren Island by United States Troops: Seizure of Forty-Five Barrels of Whiskey and the Destruction of 50,000 Gallons of Mash—a Brooklyn Politician Involved

July 29, 1886: A Barren Island Mystery: An Amateur Photographer’s Peril – Was It an Attempt To Murder?

August 6, 1897: Diptheria Is Prevalent: Throats of Nine-Tenths of Barren Island’s Population Wrapped with Salt Pork and Flannel

July 31, 1899: The Barren Island Nuisance: Bill to Prohibit Bone-Boiling and the Cremation of Garbage

November 28, 1905: Building Cut In Two to Save It From Sea: Barren Island’s Eastern End is Still Slipping Away

March 17, 1909: Hunt Wild Hogs on Barren Island: Sanitary Police Have Some Fine Sport and Settle the Ownership of Porkers: Women to the Rescue

May 18, 1913: Man is Shot in Riot on Barren Island: Mob of 500 Strikers Assails Strikebreakers Just Leaving Work

Feb. 6, 1916: Barren Island Furs Under Doctor’s Ban: Dr. Rogers Attributes the Death of a Baby to a Go-Cart Robe Made of Catskin

June 21, 1921: 2 Ships Afire at Barren Island: The Polar Bear and City of Omaha Ignited by Blaze on Shore of Jamaica Bay

August 6, 1921: Blimp on Rampage Chased By Airplane: Catapults Its Crew Into Barren Island Marsh and Sails Away Unpiloted

And check out the gallery of images submitted by photographer/artist Alexa Hoyer and other Obscura Day participants to see for yourself some of what was found this time around:

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