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Coordinates: 40°38′36″N 74°09′35″W / 40.64333°N 74.15972°W / 40.64333; -74.15972
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{{Coord|40|38|36|N|74|09|35|W|format=dms|display=title|type:isle_region:US-NY}}
{{Coord|40|38|36|N|74|09|35|W|format=dms|display=title|type:isle_region:US-NY}}
[[Image:Shooters Island jeh.JPG|thumb|275px|From [[Bayonne Bridge]]]]
[[Image:Shooters Island jeh.JPG|thumb|275px|From [[Bayonne Bridge]]]]
[[Image:Shooters Island.JPG|thumb|275px|The eastern end of Shooter's Island (background, forested) as seen from the waterfront of Staten Island]]
[[Image:Shooters Island.JPG|thumb|275px|The eastern end of Shooter's Island (background, forested) as seen from the waterfront of [[Staten Island]]]]
[[File:Shooters Island map.svg|thumb|269x269px|Map of Shooters Island with the state and city boundaries.]]
[[File:Shooters Island map.svg|thumb|269x269px|Map of Shooters Island with the state and city boundaries]]
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'''Shooters Island''' is a {{convert|43|acre|adj=on}} uninhabited island at the southern end of [[Newark Bay]], off the [[North Shore, Staten Island|North Shore]] of [[Staten Island]] in [[New York City]].<ref>{{cite news |first= Joseph|last= Berger|title= So, You Were Expecting a Pigeon?; In City Bustle, Herons, Egrets and Ibises Find a Sanctuary |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01E2DC173DF937A35751C1A9659C8B63 |quote=The 43 acre Shooter's Island is between [[Newark Bay]] and the [[Kill Van Kull]] in a channel favored by cargo ships and tankers. Yet as the city began filtering its sewage in the 1970's and taking other steps to clean its waterways, wading birds began cropping up on the island. |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 4, 2003 |access-date=August 21, 2007 }}</ref> The boundary between the states of [[New York (state)|New York]] and [[New Jersey]] runs through the island, with a small portion on the north end of the island belonging to the cities of [[Bayonne, New Jersey|Bayonne]] and [[Elizabeth, New Jersey|Elizabeth]] in New Jersey and the rest being part of the borough of Staten Island in New York City.


⚫
'''Shooters Island''' is a {{convert|43|acre|adj=on}} uninhabited island at the southern end of [[Newark Bay]], off the [[North Shore, Staten Island|North Shore]] of [[Staten Island]] in [[New York City]].<ref>{{cite news |first= Joseph|last= Berger|title= So, You Were Expecting a Pigeon?; In City Bustle, Herons, Egrets and Ibises Find a Sanctuary |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01E2DC173DF937A35751C1A9659C8B63 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 4, 2003 |access-date=August 21, 2007 }}</ref> The boundary between the modern states of [[New York (state)|New York]] and [[New Jersey]] runs through the island, with a small portion on the north end of the island belonging to the nearby cities of [[Bayonne, New Jersey|Bayonne]] and [[Elizabeth, New Jersey|Elizabeth]] in [[New Jersey]] and the rest since 1898, as a part of the [[borough]] of [[Staten Island]] in [[New York City]] of [[New York (state)|New York state]].
==Early history==


In colonial times Shooters Island was used as a hunting preserve. During the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], [[George Washington]] used the island as a [[dead drop|drop-off point]] for messages, and the place became a haven for spies.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=12279 |title=Shooter's Island |access-date=July 29, 2008 |quote=In colonial times Shooter's Island was used as a hunting preserve. Its role changed during the Revolutionary War (1775–1783), as George Washington used the island as a drop-off point for messages, and the place became a haven for spies. Following the Revolutionary War, the island's large oyster beds were harvested so frequently that they were soon exhausted from [[over harvesting]]. In the late 1800s, the island saw human interest on a large scale. |publisher=[[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]] }}</ref>
In [[Thirteen Colonies|colonial era]] times Shooters Island was used as a hunting preserve for colonists of nearby [[Province of New Jersey]] and [[Province of New York|New York Province]] and [[New York City|New York Town]] across the bays / harbors. During the [[American Revolutionary War]] (1775-1783), Commanding General [[George Washington]] and his [[Continental Army]] used the island as a [[dead drop|drop-off point]] for messages, and the place became a suitable isolated haven for spies.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=12279 |title=Shooter's Island |access-date=July 29, 2008 |publisher=[[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]] }}</ref>

Following the war, the island's large [[oyster bed]]s were heavily harvested, ultimately exhausted from [[over harvesting]] by the [[19th century]].<ref name=":0"/>


==Shipyard==
==Shipyard==


[[File:Jane Moseley 1873 renamed Minerva 1911-1932.jpg|thumb|Graveyard, Vessel No. 53 is ''Jane Moseley'' built in 1873 renamed ''Minerva'' 1911–1932]]
[[File:Jane Moseley 1873 renamed Minerva 1911-1932.jpg|thumb|side-wheel paddle-boat steamship ''S.S. Jane Moseley'', built in 1873, renamed as ''Minerva'' 1911–1932]]
[[File:Minerva ex Jane Moseley (Vessel 53) in boat basin at Shooters Island, circa 1936.png|thumb|''Minerva'' in the boat basin, {{circa|1936}}]]
[[File:Minerva ex Jane Moseley (Vessel 53) in boat basin at Shooters Island, circa 1936.png|thumb|''S.S. Minerva'', (built 1873 as ''S.S. Jane Moseley''), seen abandoned 63 years later in the boat basin off [[Shooters Island]], [[Newark Bay]], ([[New Jersey]]), near [[North Shore, Staten Island|North Shore]] of [[Staten Island]], ([[New York City]] / [[New York (state)|New York state]]), (photo taken {{circa|1936}})]]
⚫
The first shipyard on Shooters Island was created in 1860 by David Decker.<ref name=":0" /> From 1898<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1938/07/09/shooters-island|title=Shooter's Island.|last=Cooke|first=Charles|date=1938-07-02|work=New Yorker|access-date=2019-05-23|last2=Maloney|first2=Russell|language=en|issn=0028-792X}}</ref> until 1910, the island was home to a major shipyard, the Townsend-Downey Shipbuilding Company. [[Theodore E. Ferris]], who later designed the eponymous ships used by the American government in [[World War I]], was an employee of the firm.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JRQ9AAAAYAAJ|title=America's Maritime Progress|publisher=New York Marine News Company|year=1920|pages=151–152|first1=George|last1=Weiss}}</ref> Around this time it was also home to the Standard Shipbuilding Company, which bought the island in 1915.<ref name=":1" /> The entire island was occupied by buildings, including a foundry, pattern shop, and offices. There were major docks and shipways that faced to the east. Contrary to a previous report, President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] did not go hunting on this industrial island.


⚫
The first shipyard on Shooters Island by [[Newark Bay]] and [[Staten Island]] on the west shore of [[Upper New York Bay]] was established in 1860 by David Decker.<ref name=":0" /> From 1898<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1938/07/09/shooters-island|title=Shooter's Island.|last=Cooke|first=Charles|date=1938-07-02|work=New Yorker|access-date=2019-05-23|last2=Maloney|first2=Russell|language=en|issn=0028-792X}}</ref> until 1910, the island was home to a major shipyard, the [[Townsend-Downey Shipbuilding Company]]. [[Theodore E. Ferris]] (1872-1953), who later was a prominent maritime [[architect]] designed ships used by the American government in the [[World War I|First World War]] (1914/1917-1918), was an employee of the firm.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JRQ9AAAAYAAJ|title=America's Maritime Progress|publisher=New York Marine News Company|year=1920|pages=151–152|first1=George|last1=Weiss}}</ref> By 1903, the island site was acquired by the [[Tidewater Oil Company]] founded 1887 by [[E. W. Marland]] for the next decade, Around this time it was also home to the later [[Standard Oil|Standard Shipbuilding Company]] (both firms later subsidiaries of the huge conglomerate [[Standard Oil Company]] and its [[Rockefeller family]] interests. Standard which bought the entire island in 1915, the year after the [[World War I|Great War]] began in [[Europe]], anticipating future American military and shipping needs with access and expansion space alongside the [[New York Bay]] and bustling major port of New York on the [[East Coast of the United States]].<ref name=":1" /> The entire island by the late [[19th century]] was occupied by buildings, industrial facilities, shops, docks, including a foundry, pattern shop, and offices. There were major docks, piers and shipways that faced to the east and [[Upper New York Bay]] / [[New York Harbor]]..
⚫
The Townsend-Downey Company built a yacht, {{ship||Meteor III||2}}, for [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Kaiser Wilhelm II]] of Germany. Its launch in February 1902 was attended by many hundreds of spectators, including Pres. Theodore Roosevelt and [[Prince Henry of Prussia (1862–1929)|Prince Henry of Prussia]]. [[Alice Roosevelt Longworth|Alice Roosevelt]], the president's daughter, christened the boat. [[Thomas Alva Edison]] sent a cameraman who made one of the first [[newsreel|news movies]] of the event. It is available online from the Library of Congress.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac6XJyXKh2k |title=Arrival of Prince Henry (of Prussia) and President Roosevelt at Shooters Island |publisher=[[Thomas A. Edison]] |year=1902}}</ref> The next day a reception was held at the [[White House]] for Mr. Downey and representatives of the German Government.<ref name=":0" />


⚫
The Townsend-Downey Company had earlier built a famous royal yacht, ''[[Meteor III (yacht)|Meteor]]'', for [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Kaiser Wilhelm II]] of the [[German Empire]] ([[Germany]]). Its launch in February 1902 was attended by many hundreds of spectators, including 26th [[President of the United States|President]] [[Theodore Roosevelt]] (1858-1919, served 1901-1909), and his guests [[Prince Henry of Prussia (1862–1929)|Prince Heinrich (Henry) of Prussia]] (1862-1929, younger brother of Kaiser Wilhelm II). The President's eldest 18-year old daughter [[Alice Roosevelt Longworth|Alice Roosevelt]] (1884-1980), christened the boat for the [[German Emperor]] and Prince Heinrich of the [[House of Hohenzollern]] royal dynasty in [[Prussia]] and [[Imperial Germany]]. Famous scientist / inventor [[Thomas A. Edison]] (1847-1931), sent a motion pictures cameraman who made one of the first [[newsreel]] news recording [[Cinema of the United States|movies / film]] of the event. It is available online / internet from the archived collections of the [[Library of Congress]] in [[Washington, D.C.]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac6XJyXKh2k |title=Arrival of Prince Henry (of Prussia) and President Roosevelt at Shooters Island |publisher=[[Thomas A. Edison]] |year=1902}}</ref> The next day a reception was held at the [[White House]] in Washington for Mr. Downey, owner of the shipbuilding yard and representatives of the [[German Empire|Imperial German Government]].<ref name=":0" />
⚫
The following year the fast three-masted [[schooner]] {{ship||Atlantic|yacht|2}} was launched at the yard. In 1905, it raced across the Atlantic and won the Kaiser's cup and set a record for the crossing under sail which stood unbroken for almost 90 years. Another famous vessel built on Shooter's Island was {{ship||Carnegie|yacht|2}}, built for the Carnegie Institution of Washington for use in magnetic surveys in the Pacific Ocean. The brigantine yacht was named after industrialist and philanthropist [[Andrew Carnegie]], who was a friend of Mr. Downey. It was built entirely of wood and nonmagnetic metals so as not to interfere with magnetic measurements.<ref name=":0" />


⚫
The following year the fast three-masted [[schooner]] {{ship||Atlantic|yacht|2}} was also built and launched at the yard. The following year in 1905, it raced across the [[Atlantic Ocean]] and won the [[Kaiser's Cup]] with the winning prize and set a speed record for the crossing under sail which stood unbroken for almost 90 more years. The brigantine yacht {{ship||Carnegie|yacht|2}} was built for the [[Carnegie Institution]] of Washington, D.C. for use in scientific
⚫
The island came under the control of the [[Tidewater Oil Company]] in 1903.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60613FF345F1B738DDDA10A94D9415B838CF1D3&scp=15&sq=Tidewater%20Oil%20Company&st=cse | work=The New York Times | title=BIG SHIPYARD SHUTS DOWN; Unexpected Action Taken by Town- send-Downey Company. Notice Posted That Work Will Be Re- sumed Monday -- Standard Oil In- terests May Control | date=November 28, 1903}}</ref> In 1905, the eight building plant and its 33 acres were purchased by the [[Colonial Trust Company]] for $516,000. At the time, the shipyard was valued at two million dollars.<ref>{{cite news|title=Shipyard Sold|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1905-03-15/ed-1/seq-3/|access-date=August 13, 2015|work=New-York Tribune|date=March 15, 1905|location=New York|page=3}}</ref>
/ geographic magnetic surveys in the [[Pacific Ocean]]. Constructed entirely of wood and nonferrous metals so as not to interfere with taking the magnetic measurements, she was named after the Institution's founder / endowed of the famous steel industrialist and wealthy philanthropist [[Andrew Carnegie]] (1835-1919), of [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]] and [[New York City]], who also was a friend of shipbuilder Mr. Downey.<ref name=":0" />


⚫
The island came under the later control in November 1903 of the [[Tidewater Oil Company]], founded in 1887 by lawyer, businessman and politician [[E. W. Marland|E. W. (Ernest Whitworth) Marland]] (1874-1941) of [[Pennsylvania]] and later [[Oklahoma]]. It later became a subsidiary after 1911 of the huge dominant [[Standard Oil Company of New Jersey]], one of the several smaller firms remaining of the former oldest and larger [[Standard Oil|Standard Oil Company]] and its later subsidiary [[Standard Oil of Ohio|Standard Oil Company of Ohio]] (a.k.a. the [[oil trust]] / [[monopoly]]) after being broken up. It was founded in [[1870]] by wealthy and famous industrial titan [[John D. Rockefeller]], (1839-1937).<ref>{{cite news| url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60613FF345F1B738DDDA10A94D9415B838CF1D3&scp=15&sq=Tidewater%20Oil%20Company&st=cse | work=The New York Times | title=BIG SHIPYARD SHUTS DOWN; Unexpected Action Taken by Town- send-Downey Company. Notice Posted That Work Will Be Re- sumed Monday -- Standard Oil In- terests May Control | date=November 28, 1903}}</ref> Two years later in 1905, the eight buildings of the plant and its surrounding industrial complex of 33 acres were purchased by the [[Trust Company of America|Colonial Trust Company]] of New York City (now merged into the [[Trust Company of America]]) for $516,000. At the time, the shipyard was valued at two million dollars.<ref>{{cite news|title=Shipyard Sold|url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1905-03-15/ed-1/seq-3/|access-date=August 13, 2015|work=New-York Tribune|date=March 15, 1905|location=New York|page=3}}</ref>
⚫
The island was used for industrial and shipbuilding operations through 1922. Abandoned vessels began to accumulate around the perimeter of the island by 1930.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ny1414/|title=Shooters Island, Ships Graveyard, Newark Bay, Staten Island (subdivision), Richmond County, NY|last=Record|first=Historic American Engineering|publisher=www.loc.gov|language=en|access-date=2020-01-17}}</ref>

⚫
The island was used for continued industrial and shipbuilding operations through to 1922. Abandoned, scuttled and broken vessels began to accumulate around the perimeter of the island in [[Newark Bay]], near [[Staten Island]] by the following decade in 1930.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ny1414/|title=Shooters Island, Ships Graveyard, Newark Bay, Staten Island (subdivision), Richmond County, NY|last=Record|first=Historic American Engineering|publisher=www.loc.gov|language=en|access-date=2020-01-17}}</ref>


==Bird sanctuary==
==Bird sanctuary==
⚫
Shooters Island began to support nesting [[wading birds]], [[cormorants]] and [[gulls]] in the early 1970s. At its peak in 1995, the island supported 400 nesting pairs of [[herons]], [[egrets]], [[ibis]] and 121 nesting pairs of double-crested [[cormorants]]. The island is now owned by the [[New York City|City of New York]] and is maintained by [[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]] as a bird sanctuary.<ref>Parsons, K. and B. Wright. 1995. Aquatic Birds of New York Harbor: 1995 Management Report. Unpublished report. New York City Audubon, New York, NY.</ref>


Neglected during much of the later 20th century, the island has been made an official [[bird sanctuary]], partially to discourage the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]] who wanted to blow up the island to ease navigation by vessels coming down from Port Newark.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020|reason=The USACE planned to do this?}} It has begun to disintegrate into Newark Bay. The island and decayed remnants of old piers are visible to users of the [[Bayonne Bridge]] between Staten Island and [[Bayonne, New Jersey]]. The remains of the once active shipyard are still present, but diminishing every year.
The island and decayed remnants of old piers are visible to users of the [[Bayonne Bridge]] between Staten Island and [[Bayonne, New Jersey]].

⚫
Shooters Island began to support nesting [[wading birds]], [[cormorants]] and [[gulls]] in the early 1970s. At its peak in 1995, the island supported 400 nesting pairs of [[herons]], [[egrets]], [[ibis]] and 121 nesting pairs of double-crested [[cormorants]]. The island is now owned by the [[New York City|City of New York]] and is maintained by [[New York City Department of Parks and Recreation]] as a bird sanctuary.<ref>Parsons, K. and B. Wright. 1995. Aquatic Birds of New York Harbor: 1995 Management Report. Unpublished report. New York City Audubon, New York, NY.</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 40: Line 42:


==External links==
==External links==
⚫
{{Commons category|Shooters Island}}

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120204090807/http://www.nycaudubon.org/projects/harborherons/ NYC Audubon Harbor Herons Project]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120204090807/http://www.nycaudubon.org/projects/harborherons/ NYC Audubon Harbor Herons Project]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120205093255/http://www.nycaudubon.org/projects/harborherons/HHSurveyReports.shtml Harbor Herons Nesting Survey], recent reports on wading bird, cormorant, and gull nesting activity at and around Shooters Island
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120205093255/http://www.nycaudubon.org/projects/harborherons/HHSurveyReports.shtml Harbor Herons Nesting Survey], recent reports on wading bird, cormorant, and gull nesting activity at and around Shooters Island
Line 50: Line 52:
*{{HAER |survey=NY-162-D |id=ny1520 |title=Shooters Island, Ships Graveyard, Vessel No. 84 |photos=2 |dwgs=1 |data=3 |cap=1 |link=no}}
*{{HAER |survey=NY-162-D |id=ny1520 |title=Shooters Island, Ships Graveyard, Vessel No. 84 |photos=2 |dwgs=1 |data=3 |cap=1 |link=no}}



⚫
{{Commons category}}
{{Staten Island}}
{{Staten Island}}
{{Elizabeth, New Jersey}}
{{Elizabeth, New Jersey}}

Latest revision as of 00:08, 17 December 2024

40°38′36″N 74°09′35″W / 40.64333°N 74.15972°W / 40.64333; -74.15972

From Bayonne Bridge
The eastern end of Shooter's Island (background, forested) as seen from the waterfront of Staten Island
Map of Shooters Island with the state and city boundaries

Shooters Island is a 43-acre (17 ha) uninhabited island at the southern end of Newark Bay, off the North Shore of Staten Island in New York City.[1] The boundary between the modern states of New York and New Jersey runs through the island, with a small portion on the north end of the island belonging to the nearby cities of Bayonne and Elizabeth in New Jersey and the rest since 1898, as a part of the borough of Staten Island in New York City of New York state.

In colonial era times Shooters Island was used as a hunting preserve for colonists of nearby Province of New Jersey and New York Province and New York Town across the bays / harbors. During the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), Commanding General George Washington and his Continental Army used the island as a drop-off point for messages, and the place became a suitable isolated haven for spies.[2]

Following the war, the island's large oyster beds were heavily harvested, ultimately exhausted from over harvesting by the 19th century.[2]

Shipyard

[edit]
side-wheel paddle-boat steamship S.S. Jane Moseley, built in 1873, renamed as Minerva 1911–1932
S.S. Minerva, (built 1873 as S.S. Jane Moseley), seen abandoned 63 years later in the boat basin off Shooters Island, Newark Bay, (New Jersey), near North Shore of Staten Island, (New York City / New York state), (photo taken c. 1936)

The first shipyard on Shooters Island by Newark Bay and Staten Island on the west shore of Upper New York Bay was established in 1860 by David Decker.[2] From 1898[3] until 1910, the island was home to a major shipyard, the Townsend-Downey Shipbuilding Company. Theodore E. Ferris (1872-1953), who later was a prominent maritime architect designed ships used by the American government in the First World War (1914/1917-1918), was an employee of the firm.[4] By 1903, the island site was acquired by the Tidewater Oil Company founded 1887 by E. W. Marland for the next decade, Around this time it was also home to the later Standard Shipbuilding Company (both firms later subsidiaries of the huge conglomerate Standard Oil Company and its Rockefeller family interests. Standard which bought the entire island in 1915, the year after the Great War began in Europe, anticipating future American military and shipping needs with access and expansion space alongside the New York Bay and bustling major port of New York on the East Coast of the United States.[3] The entire island by the late 19th century was occupied by buildings, industrial facilities, shops, docks, including a foundry, pattern shop, and offices. There were major docks, piers and shipways that faced to the east and Upper New York Bay / New York Harbor..

The Townsend-Downey Company had earlier built a famous royal yacht, Meteor, for Kaiser Wilhelm II of the German Empire (Germany). Its launch in February 1902 was attended by many hundreds of spectators, including 26th President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919, served 1901-1909), and his guests Prince Heinrich (Henry) of Prussia (1862-1929, younger brother of Kaiser Wilhelm II). The President's eldest 18-year old daughter Alice Roosevelt (1884-1980), christened the boat for the German Emperor and Prince Heinrich of the House of Hohenzollern royal dynasty in Prussia and Imperial Germany. Famous scientist / inventor Thomas A. Edison (1847-1931), sent a motion pictures cameraman who made one of the first newsreel news recording movies / film of the event. It is available online / internet from the archived collections of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C..[2][5] The next day a reception was held at the White House in Washington for Mr. Downey, owner of the shipbuilding yard and representatives of the Imperial German Government.[2]

The following year the fast three-masted schooner Atlantic was also built and launched at the yard. The following year in 1905, it raced across the Atlantic Ocean and won the Kaiser's Cup with the winning prize and set a speed record for the crossing under sail which stood unbroken for almost 90 more years. The brigantine yacht Carnegie was built for the Carnegie Institution of Washington, D.C. for use in scientific / geographic magnetic surveys in the Pacific Ocean. Constructed entirely of wood and nonferrous metals so as not to interfere with taking the magnetic measurements, she was named after the Institution's founder / endowed of the famous steel industrialist and wealthy philanthropist Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and New York City, who also was a friend of shipbuilder Mr. Downey.[2]

The island came under the later control in November 1903 of the Tidewater Oil Company, founded in 1887 by lawyer, businessman and politician E. W. (Ernest Whitworth) Marland (1874-1941) of Pennsylvania and later Oklahoma. It later became a subsidiary after 1911 of the huge dominant Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, one of the several smaller firms remaining of the former oldest and larger Standard Oil Company and its later subsidiary Standard Oil Company of Ohio (a.k.a. the oil trust / monopoly) after being broken up. It was founded in 1870 by wealthy and famous industrial titan John D. Rockefeller, (1839-1937).[6] Two years later in 1905, the eight buildings of the plant and its surrounding industrial complex of 33 acres were purchased by the Colonial Trust Company of New York City (now merged into the Trust Company of America) for $516,000. At the time, the shipyard was valued at two million dollars.[7]

The island was used for continued industrial and shipbuilding operations through to 1922. Abandoned, scuttled and broken vessels began to accumulate around the perimeter of the island in Newark Bay, near Staten Island by the following decade in 1930.[8]

Bird sanctuary

[edit]

Shooters Island began to support nesting wading birds, cormorants and gulls in the early 1970s. At its peak in 1995, the island supported 400 nesting pairs of herons, egrets, ibis and 121 nesting pairs of double-crested cormorants. The island is now owned by the City of New York and is maintained by New York City Department of Parks and Recreation as a bird sanctuary.[9]

The island and decayed remnants of old piers are visible to users of the Bayonne Bridge between Staten Island and Bayonne, New Jersey.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Berger, Joseph (December 4, 2003). "So, You Were Expecting a Pigeon?; In City Bustle, Herons, Egrets and Ibises Find a Sanctuary". The New York Times. Retrieved August 21, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Shooter's Island". New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved July 29, 2008.
  3. ^ a b Cooke, Charles; Maloney, Russell (July 2, 1938). "Shooter's Island". New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  4. ^ Weiss, George (1920). America's Maritime Progress. New York Marine News Company. pp. 151–152.
  5. ^ "Arrival of Prince Henry (of Prussia) and President Roosevelt at Shooters Island". Thomas A. Edison. 1902.
  6. ^ "BIG SHIPYARD SHUTS DOWN; Unexpected Action Taken by Town- send-Downey Company. Notice Posted That Work Will Be Re- sumed Monday -- Standard Oil In- terests May Control". The New York Times. November 28, 1903.
  7. ^ "Shipyard Sold". New-York Tribune. New York. March 15, 1905. p. 3. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  8. ^ Record, Historic American Engineering. "Shooters Island, Ships Graveyard, Newark Bay, Staten Island (subdivision), Richmond County, NY". www.loc.gov. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  9. ^ Parsons, K. and B. Wright. 1995. Aquatic Birds of New York Harbor: 1995 Management Report. Unpublished report. New York City Audubon, New York, NY.
[edit]
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