My friend Matt and I went on a Staten Island adventure this past weekend. Our initial plan was to visit Mandolin Brothers to check out their archtop guitar selection (it was amazing). Since we were there I suggested we check out the Arthur Kill Ship Graveyard in the Rossville section of the island. I can't remember where I first heard about this place, but the stories have intrigued me and we hopped in the car with our cameras and gear.
To get to the ships we had to wind our way through towering metal cargo containers, a sort of garbage-cathedral.
The entrance was hard to find. And it was a strange, partially-desolate area. On the road bordering the junk yard where the boats are laid to rest are 1) an animal feed depot 2) a car wash 3) an automechanic 4) a night club (with a back to the future theme night on mondays) 5) a western-style saloon 6) an 18th century graveyard and 7) a lone house between the feed depot and graveyard.
A partial view of the ship graveyard through the trees...
We finally found our way around Do Not Enter signs and rusty, twisted cargo containers to our destination. It was a smelly and muddy place. Crabs darted sideways in and out of their protected holes in the ground. Garbage everywhere. But amongst the water and the reeds lay dozens of rusted, barnacle-covered ships, scuttled to rest until they decay into oblivion. It was just what we were looking for. We clicked and clicked away with our digital cameras. Carefully we stepped and climbed amongst the wrecks as they lay rotting along the shore. I may return to this strange area again....when I feel up for yet another Staten Island adventure.
1 comment:
Glad you folks enjoyed the trip, but as a local, I need to tell you that there is no such place as "the Arthur Kills section of Staten Island." You were in Rossville. The Arthur Kill is the waterway between the Island and New Jersey where the boats were left to rot.
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