Edison 1903 Video Blackwell's ( Roosevelt ) Island

[FireLineStudios]

Wow. Having spent 20+ yrs living on this island, that really quite something to see.

[Lionrite]

that steeple on the light tower..Isn't gone?

[SupremePancake101]

There are reports of a man walks through the house at night dressed in his Sunday best. It's said that if one drives by the house at night, either every light will be on or no lights may be on at all. There is one report of a family that awoke one night to find the lamp on the night stand on. They turned it off. An hour later, they woke up again to find this lamp on. This time, they unplugged it. A little while later, they saw the bulb glowing again, but the lamp was still unplugged.

[amgenv]

Great piece of history. The stonework to the bridge going up is great. That powerhouse in the background,long abandoned, was recently taken down. Yet I believe it's thick stone walls are being salvaged and incorporated in the new construction of an apartment tower.

[Lex4792]

At around 40 seconds, was that the asylum and/or prison?

[jhatchjr11466]

Yes,That was a women's Lunatic Assylum.I did some reading and there was a woman named Nelly Bly(e)who went there undercover to see the treatment of the patients there to write a book about it.Nelly died long ago and she is buried in a cemetery in the Bronx with other famous people.I visited a website today and it showed her gravesite.Assylums look so creepy even in this video ,i wonder how old it was in 1903 ?

[Lex4792]

I've read Nelly Blye's work, it's actually really interesting. I'll check out the site too (:

[jhatchjr11466]

There was a smallpox hospital and a women's lunatic assylum and it was called the octagon

I think i saw the octagonal shaped building in this film and the Bridge being built further down the line in 1903.

[Lex4792]

I've seen the Smallpox Hospital actually, it's really sad how it's in ruins, but it somehow adds to the beauty of it. I'm just upset that a wing collapsed and it was fenced off just two days before I went there ):

[gen11gen]

it was  a mental institution i think.

[msmithriv]

It is interesting to see the caissons for the Queensboro Bridge being erected.