Professor, Purdue University.
Well before Hart island became New York City’s potters field, Hart Island, or Hart’s Island as it was then called, became a prime tourist destination for every rogue and scoundrel in town, when City officials banned boxing. Overnight, the ban turned the island into one of New York’s premier pugilism venues.
On April 20, 1842, James Yankee Sullivan and Englishman Billy Bell slugged it out for 24 bloody bare-knuckle rounds. Over 6,000 fans, including Yankee Sullivan’s pal Bill the Butcher Poole, sailed to the island to cheer on Sullivan. One newspaper joked that the city’s crime rate went down that day, by half !
By the time of the Civil War, fighters regularly battled on this desolate stretch of land, but the Union spoiled the fun when they realized the island’s usefulness as a prisoner of war camp, for Confederate troops. But for a brief moment in time, Hart Island reigned supreme as the Mecca for bare knuckle fighting !
Michael T. Keene is the author of Folklore and Legends of Rochester, Murder, Mayhem and Madness, Mad~House, Question of Sanity, and now his new book,
NEW YORK CITY’S HART ISLAND: A CEMETERY OF STRANGERS
Pre-Order a signed, soft cover copy of the book: New York City's Hart Island, directly from the Author
https://michaeltkeene.com/hart-island-soft-cover-book/
Learn more about Author / Host / Filmmaker Michael T. Keene
https://michaeltkeene.com/about/
Send questions / comments / suggestions to:
https://michaeltkeene.com/contact/
Connect with Michael T. Keene on Social Media
Twitter https://twitter.com/talkhartisland
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TalkingHartIsland/
Ship Ablaze with Edward T. O’Donnell
Leonard Melfi with Edward Berkeley
The Great Arrival with Diane Vecchio
Shelia Terry with Larry Powell
The Triangle Shirt Waist Factory Fire with Hasia Diner
Leola Dickerson with Peter Strauss
Bellevue with Dr. Danielle Ofri
Dawn Powell with Tim Page
Damnation Island with Stacy Horn
A Pickpockets Tale with Timothy J. Gilfoyle
Inside Rikers: Stories From the World’s Largest Penal Colony
Hart Island A Musical by Michelle Elliot and Danny Larsen
Forgotten Ellis island with Lorie Conway
Five Points with Professor Tyler Anbinder
Bobby Driscoll with Dave Bossert
Superstorm with Dr. David A. Robinson
The Treasure of Hart Island with Mike Monahan
The Island at the Center of the World with Russell Shorto
Talking Hart Island PROMO Trailer
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
History Obscura
Historycal: Words that Shaped the World
The Rest Is History
Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra