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, you can read more about Dead Horse Bay here, and 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, Adrian Kinloch and other Obscura Day participants to see for yourself some of what was found this time around:
