The Pelham Islands are a group of islands in western Long Island Sound that belonged to

Thomas Pell Thomas Pell, 1st Lord of Pelham Manor (1608 – September 21, 1669) was an English-born physician who bought the area known as Pelham, New York, as well as land that now includes the eastern Bronx and southern Westchester County, New York, and foun ...

in the 17th century. The islands, and most of the surrounding area, were purchased from the

Siwanoy The Siwanoy () were an Indigenous American band of Wappinger people, who lived in Long Island Sound along the coasts of what are now The Bronx, Westchester County, New York, and Fairfield County, Connecticut. They were one of the western bands of ...

Indians by Pell in 1654, creating Pelham Manor. This large tract of land would eventually become the present-day Town and Village of Pelham and

Pelham Manor Pelham Manor is an affluent village located in Westchester County, New York. As of the 2020 census, the village had a total population of 5,752. It is located in the town of Pelham. History The Bolton Priory, Edgewood House, and Pelhamdale are ...

, Town of Eastchester, cities of

New Rochelle New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state o ...

and

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

Westchester County Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

, and the Pelham Bay and Eastchester neighborhoods of

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Several of the Pelham Islands became part of New Rochelle after Jacob Leisler’s purchase of from the Pell family in 1688. The remaining islands became part of Bronx County in 1895 with the establishment of the current Westchester-Bronx County line.

Islands

* The Blauzes - a pair of small islands in City Island Harbor made of Manhattan schist bedrock. * Chimney Sweeps Islands - a pair of small, uninhabited islands made entirely of bedrock. The islands were acquired by the City of New York on April 29, 1939, and are now part of

Pelham Bay Park Pelham Bay Park is a municipal park located in the northeast corner of the New York City borough of the Bronx. It is, at , the largest public park in New York City. The park is more than three times the size of Manhattan's Central Park. The pa ...

. * City Island - originally known as “Great Minnefords”, the 235 acre island is the largest of the group. Before the Revolutionary War, Benjamin Palmer renamed it "City Island" as part of his plans to create a great port city. The onset of the Revolutionary War brought an end to those plans. It remained part of the Town of Pelham until June 6, 1895, when the present boundary line between Westchester and Bronx Counties was established, placing City Island within Bronx County, City of New York. * Davids Island - a 78-acre island in New Rochelle. The island has been used as farmland by the early Huguenot settlers, a military hospital for injured Civil War soldiers, a U.S. Army Fort (

Fort Slocum Fort Slocum, New York was a US military post which occupied Davids Island in the western end of Long Island Sound in the city of New Rochelle, New York from 1867 to 1965. The fort was named for Major General Henry W. Slocum, a Union corps comma ...

), and a U.S. Army Air Defense Command "Nike" missile site during the Cold War. * Goose Island - a series of rocky outcroppings located in

* Hart Island - originally known as “Little Minnefords”, the 101 acre island lies off the eastern shore of City Island, The federal government took possession of the island during the Civil War for use as a training facility. The City of New York purchased Hart Island in 1868 and has been used as a quarantine site for infected individuals during the Yellow Fever Epidemic, a reformatory for vicious boys, a home for German prisoners of war during World War II, a "Nike" missile installation used by the U.S. Army Air Defense Command during the Cold War, and a facility for the rehabilitation of drug addicts. It is now the city's primary potter's field. *

High Island Geologically, a high island or volcanic island is an island of volcanic origin. The term can be used to distinguish such islands from low islands, which are formed from sedimentation or the uplifting of coral reefs (which have often formed ...

- an 8-acre island was purchased in 1762 by Captain John Wooley, which he then named "High Island" for its elevated center. A radio broadcasting company bought the island in 1962 and built an automobile bridge to City Island. WCBS and WFAN currently operate the 529-foot antenna tower on the island. * Hunter Island - the 19th century country estate of the wealthy New York City merchant John Hunter. When the City developed

in 1937, the stretch of water between Hunter's Island and the land opposite City Island Bridge was filled, converting the island into a peninsula. * Rat Island - a 2.5 acre island which has been used as a typhoid quarantine hospital, an artists' and writers' colony, and a fisherman’s campsite. * Travers Island - a former island connected by landfill to mainland

, and is the summer home of the

New York Athletic Club The New York Athletic Club is a private social club and athletic club in New York state. Founded in 1868, the club has approximately 8,600 members and two facilities: the City House, located at 180 Central Park South in Manhattan, and Traver ...

.newrochellenews.info waterfront
/ref> * Twin Island - a former island which was connected to Rodman's Neck by landfill in the 1930s. They are now part of Orchard Beach in

Islands

See also

References

External links