A mile-long spit of land that surfaced off the coast of the Rockaways in the mid-1800s, Hog Island eventually became a popular summertime seaside resort along the lines of Rockaway Beach and Brighton Beach.
This favorite vacation destination for Tammany Hall politicians featured the usual late-19th century bathing facilities, pavilions, restaurants, and regular ferries.
This print depicts neighboring resort Rockaway Beach. Hog Island probably looked similar.
So what happened to this modern-day Atlantis? First, it was battered by the Hurricane of 1893. While this category-2 storm reportedly triggered 30-foot sea swells off Coney Island on the night of August 23, it decimated the buildings on Hog Island.
A few more brutal storms in the 1890s sealed its fate; the sea swallowed it back up in 1902.
Tags: Brighton Beach, Coney Island, Far Rockaway, Hog Island, Hurricane of 1893, New York City 19th century beach resorts, New York City hurricanes, Queens beach resorts, Rockaway Beach, Sea Side House, Tammany Hall
Ephemeral New York 
October 20, 2009 at 5:44 pm |
[…] Hog Island, a small spit of land off the Rockaways, was a 19th-century resort like Coney Island before it sank beneath the waves. [Ephemeral New York] […]
October 27, 2009 at 8:20 am |
http://www.rockawaymemories.com/HogIsland4.htm
October 27, 2009 at 2:03 pm |
Great link, thanks for sending it on.
March 30, 2010 at 3:44 pm |
a trolley line also went to hog island.it entered the waters at beach 19th.st.&went to sea via a wooden trestle apx.1000 in length.the company that operated it was the long island electric[later to become jamaica central railways]
August 25, 2011 at 8:49 pm |
is this the fate of fire island ?
September 11, 2012 at 2:50 am |
[…] hog island of new york, which functioned as a resort until it was quite literally swallowed up by a hurricane in 1893. […]
December 29, 2012 at 2:29 pm |
[…] brought killer storms like the four-day Great Blizzard of 1888. The 1893 storm largely eradicated Hog Island, and the 1938 “Long Island Express” hit LI as a category 3 hurricane with wind gusts up […]
December 29, 2012 at 7:18 pm |
[…] brought killer storms like the four-day Great Blizzard of 1888. The 1893 storm largely eradicated Hog Island, and the 1938 “Long Island Express” hit LI as a category 3 hurricane with wind gusts up to 180 […]
December 31, 2012 at 4:29 am |
Philadelphia had a “Hog Island”. There is a Philly
legend that Philly’s “Hog Island” contributed to a
Philly version of the “submarine sandwich”, known
as a Hoagie.
December 31, 2012 at 1:50 pm |
[…] brought killer storms like the four-day Great Blizzard of 1888. The 1893 storm largely eradicated Hog Island, and the 1938 “Long Island Express” hit LI as a category 3 hurricane with wind gusts up to 180 […]
December 31, 2012 at 4:27 pm |
[…] brought killer storms like the four-day Great Blizzard of 1888. The 1893 storm largely eradicated Hog Island, and the 1938 “Long Island Express” hit LI as a category 3 hurricane with wind gusts up to 180 […]
January 1, 2013 at 1:04 am |
[…] brought killer storms like the four-day Great Blizzard of 1888. The 1893 storm largely eradicated Hog Island, and the 1938 “Long Island Express” hit LI as a category 3 hurricane with wind gusts up to 180 […]
January 5, 2013 at 11:04 am |
[…] brought killer storms like the four-day Great Blizzard of 1888. The 1893 storm largely eradicated Hog Island, and the 1938 “Long Island Express” hit LI as a category 3 hurricane with wind gusts up […]
January 6, 2013 at 12:06 pm |
[…] brought killer storms like the four-day Great Blizzard of 1888. The 1893 storm largely eradicated Hog Island, and the 1938 “Long Island Express” hit LI as a category 3 hurricane with wind gusts up […]
January 7, 2013 at 10:05 pm |
[…] brought killer storms like the four-day Great Blizzard of 1888. The 1893 storm largely eradicated Hog Island, and the 1938 “Long Island Express” hit LI as a category 3 hurricane with wind gusts up to 180 […]
January 28, 2013 at 12:14 pm |
[…] brought killer storms like the four-day Great Blizzard of 1888. The 1893 storm largely eradicated Hog Island, and the 1938 “Long Island Express” hit LI as a category 3 hurricane with wind gusts up to 180 […]
February 1, 2013 at 10:36 pm |
[…] of 1888, which convinced New York City to build its subway. The 1893 storm all but eradicated Hog Island, and the 1938 “Long Island Express” hit LI as a category 3 hurricane, brought 18-foot storm […]
February 9, 2013 at 6:57 am |
[…] of 1888, which convinced New York City to build its subway. The 1893 storm all but eradicated Hog Island, and the 1938 “Long Island Express” hit LI as a category 3 hurricane, brought 18-foot storm […]
February 16, 2013 at 11:15 am |
[…] brought killer storms like the four-day Great Blizzard of 1888. The 1893 storm largely eradicated Hog Island, and the 1938 “Long Island Express” hit LI as a category 3 hurricane with wind gusts up to 180 […]
February 25, 2013 at 4:00 pm |
[…] brought killer storms like the four-day Great Blizzard of 1888. The 1893 storm largely eradicated Hog Island, and the 1938 “Long Island Express” hit LI as a category 3 hurricane with wind gusts up to 180 […]
June 6, 2013 at 3:45 pm |
[…] brought killer storms like the four-day Great Blizzard of 1888. The 1893 storm largely eradicated Hog Island, and the 1938 “Long Island Express” hit LI as a category 3 hurricane with wind gusts up to 180 […]