Have you ever considered where people who are poor or don’t have family are taken after they die? In New York City they are taken to Hart Island, located in the waters of the Long Island Sound.
This is one of the largest cemeteries in the country and is currently controlled by the NYC Department of Corrections. During the past 150 years more than 1 million souls have been buried on the island. Up until recently, access to the 131-acre island was highly restricted, requiring one to register six months in advance for an infrequent ferry. Visitors had to surrender their phone and camera to guards before making the trip—shrouding the mass grave site in secrecy.
The image shown here is a rare historical photo showing burial trenches that typically hold up to 1,000 simple pine coffins.
The burials are still carried out by volunteer prisoners from Rikers Island at a rate of 25 souls a week. Tragically during the pandemic, officials reported that burials increased to about 24 souls per day. The island is often referred to as the “Potter’s Field”—a Biblical reference to a piece of land used to bury foreigners that previously had been owned by a potter. Religious leaders bought the land with the 30 pieces of silver paid to Judas and returned after he betrayed Jesus. Learning about this island and its complicated history, I am haunted by the well-known quote, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by how it treats its weakest member.”