How can an island in the East River in New York City be forgotten

10 Uninhabited Islands and Why Nobody Lives on Them - Mental Floss:

'via Blog this'? Ah, because it’s a protected nesting area, and therefore off-limits to the public. Still, North Brother Islandhas quite a history. Riverside Hospital opened a quarantine facility for smallpox patients on the 20-acre island in 1885. The hospital later took in patients with other communicable diseases, such as venereal disease and typhoid. It was here that Typhoid Mary was housed for two decades until her death in 1938. The hospital closed in 1942, but the buildings were used for veteran’s housing for a while, then as a rehab center for young drug addicts, but corruption, abuse, and rights violations forced the facility to close for good in 1963. The buildings still stand in their ruined state, and are said to be haunted by the many who died or suffered there.