Places You Can No Longer Go: Barren Island - Atlas Obscura
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
  • Trips
    • Upcoming Trips
    • All Trips Trips Blog
    Get the Atlas Obscura book
    Shop Now »

    Upcoming Trips

    View All Trips »

    Iceland in Summer: Journey Through a Fabled Land

    Rewilding: Tracking Wolves in the Forests of Sweden

    Silk Road Cities of Central Asia

    View from Pope Luna's Castle, Peniscola

    Small Wonders and Good Eats Along Spain's Orange Blossom Coast

  • Experiences

    Upcoming Experiences

    View All Experiences »
    Members only

    Brick Bending: An "Illegal" Lego Workshop

    Members only

    Monster of the Month w/ Colin Dickey: Night Hags

    Members only

    More than Marbling: An Introduction to Modern Ebru w/ Garip Ay

    Members only

    The AO Challenge: A Game of Curious Missions

    Members only

    Making Edible Candles w/ Jen Monroe

  • Courses

    Upcoming Courses

    View All Courses »

    How to Read a Landscape: Botany & Ecology With Annie Novak

    Bee-licious: Taste Honey Like a Sommelier With Marina Marchese

    Think Like A Museum: Curate Your Personal Collection with Alexis Hyde

    Ask a Cemeterian: The Business of Burials With Dr. Elise M. Ciregna

    How We Dream: The Science, History & Future of Dreaming With Sidarta Ribeiro

  • Places
    • Top Destinations
    • Latest Places
    • Most Popular Places
    • Random Place
    • Lists
    • Itineraries
    • Add a Place
    • DOWNLOAD THE iOS APP Download on the Apple App Store

    Latest Places

    View All Places »
    A guide speaking about Estonian tea traditions.
    Varnja, Estonia

    Samovar House

    58.4968, 27.2373
    George Widrick House
    Frederick, Maryland

    George Wildrick House

    39.3819, -77.4498
    Nana Wada
    Pune, India

    Nana Wada

    18.5185, 73.8559
    Milos, Greece

    Sirocco

    36.6752, 24.5168

    Top Destinations

    View All Destinations »

    Countries

    • Australia
    • Canada
    • China
    • France
    • Germany
    • India
    • Italy
    • Japan

    Cities

    • Amsterdam
    • Barcelona
    • Beijing
    • Berlin
    • Boston
    • Budapest
    • Chicago
    • London
    • Los Angeles
    • Mexico City
    • Montreal
    • Moscow
    • New Orleans
    • New York City
    • Paris
    • Philadelphia
    • Rome
    • San Francisco
    • Seattle
    • Stockholm
    • Tokyo
    • Toronto
    • Vienna
    • Washington, D.C.
  • Foods

    Latest Places to Eat & Drink

    View All Places to Eat »
    A guide speaking about Estonian tea traditions.

    Samovar House

    Sirocco

     Sample a few unusual flavors before buying at Poslastičarnica.

    Poslastičarnica sa stavom

    Cowboy Dinner Tree

    Dirty Dick's
  • Stories

    Most Recent Stories

    View All Stories »
    Pearl meat is the ear-shaped adductor muscle in a pearl oyster.

    How Pearl Meat Became Australia's Newest Luxury Ingredient

     In late April, the city of Kyiv dismantled the workers' statue beneath the Arch of the Peoples' Friendship.

    Toppling Ukraine's Russian and Soviet Past

    Podcast: The House on the Rock

     Rocky, a 6-year-old Harris hawk, is one in a flock of birds of prey that patrols the skies over Bouchaine Winery in California's Napa Valley.

    The Birds of Prey That Stand Guard Over California's Vineyards

     A mountain gorilla in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.

    Wildlife Vets Trek Through Mud and Mist to Care for Rwanda's Gorillas
  • Sign In Join
  • Sign In
    Join
What's near me?

Places You Can No Longer Go: Barren Island

The small slip of land near Brooklyn used to be a moldering cesspool—before Robert Moses stepped in.

by Lucas Adams March 17, 2016
Places You Can No Longer Go: Barren Island
Read next

Cold War Spies Sifted Through Used Soviet Toilet Paper In Search of Clues

Operation Tamarisk has been called one of the most successful spy operations of the era.
garbage weeknew york citygarbageplaces you can no longer gocolumns
Want to see fewer ads?
Become a Member.
Want to see fewer ads?
Become a Member.
Using an ad blocker?

We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the world’s hidden wonders. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month.

Support Us
Keep Exploring
objects of intrigue

Object of Intrigue: Disneyland's Flirty, Talking Trash Can

An animatronic trash can named PUSH eventually got the shove.
Tao Tao Holmes March 15, 2016
garbage

Video Wonder: Roosevelt Island's Trash Vacuum

One of only six in the U.S.
Tao Tao Holmes March 15, 2016
nazis

The Gigantic Nazi City that Was Never Built

Albert Speer designed a truly epic monstrosity that never saw the light of day.
Lucas Adams October 20, 2016
science fiction

Places You Can No Longer Go: Ray Bradbury's House

The developers who tore down the iconic house called the public response "a bummer."
Lucas Adams September 22, 2016
Video

Peek Inside NYC’s Iconic Rubber Stamp Shop

3:40
Video

Atlas Obscura Tries: Magnet Fishing

6:00
Video • Wonder From Home

Show & Tell With a Pull-Tab Archaeologist

10:07
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
From Around the Web
THE GASTRO OBSCURA BOOK
Taste the World!
An eye-opening journey through the history, culture, and places of the culinary world. Order Now
Gastro Obscura Book

See Fewer Ads

Become an Atlas Obscura member and experience far fewer ads and no pop-ups.

Learn More

Get Our Email Newsletter

Thanks for subscribing! View all newsletters »

Follow Us

Get the app

Download on the Apple App Store

Places

  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place

Editorial

  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters

Trips

  • All Trips
  • Trips Blog
  • Art & Culture Trips
  • Food Trips
  • Hidden City Trips
  • History Trips
  • Photography Trips
  • Wildlife & Nature Trips
  • FAQ

Experiences

  • Experiences
  • Online Courses
  • Online Experience FAQ
  • Online Course FAQ

Community

  • Membership
  • Travel Forum
  • Latest Posts
  • Top Posts
  • Feedback & Ideas

Company

  • About
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Work With Us
  • Advertising
  • Press
  • Unique Gifts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
© 2022 Atlas Obscura. All rights reserved.

Thanks for sharing!

Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders.

Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders.

Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook

Want a Free Book?

Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book, Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders.
No Thanks Visit AtlasObscura.com
Atlas Obscura: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders

Stay in Touch!

Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day.
Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Follow Us on Instagram No Thanks Visit AtlasObscura.com
No purchase necessary. Winner will be selected at random on 07/01/2022. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Offer subject to change without notice. See contest rules for full details.

Add Some Wonder to Your Inbox

Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you.
No Thanks

We'd Like You to Like Us

Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed.
No Thanks
aoc-full-screen aoc-heart-solid aoc-compass aoc-flipboard aoc-globe aoc-pocket aoc-share aoc-cancel aoc-video aoc-building aoc-clock aoc-clipboard aoc-help aoc-arrow-right aoc-arrow-left aoc-ticket aoc-place-entry aoc-facebook aoc-instagram aoc-reddit aoc-rss aoc-twitter aoc-accommodation aoc-activity-level aoc-add-a-photo aoc-add-box aoc-add-shape aoc-arrow-forward aoc-been-here aoc-chat-bubbles aoc-close aoc-expand-more aoc-expand-less aoc-forum-flag aoc-group-size aoc-heart-outline aoc-heart-solid aoc-home aoc-important aoc-knife-fork aoc-library-books aoc-link aoc-list-circle-bullets aoc-list aoc-location-add aoc-location aoc-mail aoc-map aoc-menu aoc-more-horizontal aoc-my-location aoc-near-me aoc-notifications-alert aoc-notifications-mentions aoc-notifications-muted aoc-notifications-tracking aoc-open-in-new aoc-pencil aoc-person aoc-pinned aoc-plane-takeoff aoc-plane passport-plane aoc-print aoc-reply aoc-search aoc-shuffle aoc-star aoc-subject aoc-trip-style aoc-unpinned aoc-send aoc-phone aoc-apps aoc-lock aoc-verified