5. In the Early 1900s, 25% of the Island Was Landfill

Four acres of land were added to the eastern side of North Brother Island in 1909, accounting for 25% of the total island, on top which were built dormitories and other buildings. As Christopher Payne tells us, he ended the photography for the book North Brother Island, The Last Unknown Place in New York City shortly after Hurricane Sandy, where much of the landfill eroded away. The photograph above shows manhole covers that once connected to sewers on what was once a street on North Brother Island.