Field Trip to City Island
City Island is a small community at the edge of New York City located just beyond Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx and surrounded by the waters of the Long Island Sound and Eastchester Bay. With Execution Light to the northeast and Stepping Stones Lighthouse to the south, City Island has a rich nautical history, much of it preserved by the Historical Society and Museum.

Originally inhabited by the Siwanoy Indians, who lived during the summer on the plentiful clams, oysters, and fish they found here, City Island was first established as an English settlement in 1685. Ideally situated to supply schooners traveling between Manhattan and points north, the island became an important shipping building and yachting center during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The two world wars brought about a conversion from yacht building to the construction of submarine chasers, P. T. Boats, landing crafts, tugs, and mine sweepers. City Island also became the site of a quarantine station, as well as the Hell's Gate pilot station.

After World War II, yachting returned and with it the building of 12-meter sloops that successfully defended the America's Cup, including the Independence, the Enterprise, and the Courageous. Today, the presence of yacht clubs, sailing schools, sail makers, marinas, fishing boats, and marine supply and repair shops reflect City Island's historic role as a nautical community.

The City Island Museum is located in one of the area's most picturesque historic buildings, the old Public School 17 built in 1897 on a former Indian burial ground at one of the highest points on the Island. When the people of City Island voted in 1896 to separate from Westchester County and to become part of New York City, the city fathers built the school, which continued in use until 1975. When the school building was sold for development in 1986 the city reserved space for use by the City Island Historical Society and the Community Centre, and several of the old schoolrooms now serve as galleries for the Museum.

The Walsh room, dedicated originally in 1976, displays more than 60 paintings of City Island and nearby areas made during the 1930s by professor Harold Vendervoort Walsh. The historical library contains books, magazines, newspapers, and scrapbooks collected by individuals, organizations, and churches.

The Nautical Room is filled with memorabilia and photographs carefully arranged to demonstrate City Island's proud heritage as a shipbuilding community. Each of the shipyards is honored with historical pictures of the yachts and the men and women who dedicated their lives to building them.

The School Room shows what life was like for the school children in the 1830's, as they struggled to preserve their own cultural and religious heritage and to acquire knowledge and skill. The Community Room contains treasures donated by Island residents whose precious heirlooms help bring the early 19th century alive for visitors curios about the Island's past.