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Blackwell’s Island, now known as Roosevelt Island, has a deep connection to disability and incarceration. For much of the early 1900s, New Yorkers nicknamed the island Welfare Island after the asylums, prisons, and almshouses that were built there.
The Blackwell family settled the island over four generations. At the beginning of the 18th century, Blackwell built his farmhouse, the Blackwell House, on the island. Blackwell's Island was not a major battleground in the American Revolutionary War, though British troops tried to take the island after the 1776 Battle of Long Island.
Located in the East River, Blackwell's Island was renamed Welfare Island in 1921 and Roosevelt Island in 1973. In the past, the city build a number of institutions on the island, including a prison, an insane asylum and hospitals.
Jun 1, 2015 · Roosevelt Island was once known as Blackwell's Island, where a penitentiary and a lunatic asylum were located. Learn about the history and scandals of these institutions, as well as the island's transformation into a residential and cultural hub.
- Bess Lovejoy
Aug 29, 2020 · The Blackwell's island Asylum was the first lunatic asylum for the city of New York and the first municipal mental hospital in the country.
Dec 30, 2012 · Long before Roosevelt Island got its name, it was called Blackwell’s Island, where the city operated a prison, a lunatic asylum and other Dickensian horrors.
Feb 11, 2022 · Roosevelt Island, formerly known as Blackwell's Island, is a small island in the East River with a rich history and a scenic park. Learn how to get there by tram or bridge, what to do and see, and where to eat and stay on this guide.
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