Dead Horse Bay — Local services in New York

Stroll along the beach at Dead Horse Bay and you'll be stepping on the faces of broken porcelain dolls, glass soda bottles from the 1950s, and fragments of 19th-century horse bones. The debris strewn on the sand tells the story of the bay's past. Formerly part of Barren Island, Dead Horse Bay acquired its unsavory name in the 1850s, when it became the location for multiple horse-ren-dering plants. New York's former carriage-pulling equines arrived here to be transformed into glue and Certilizer. Having no use for their chopped, boiled bones, plant workers dumped them in the water. A horid smell hung in the air.

The introduction of the automobile brought an end to carriage horses, and thus an end to horse-ren-dering plants. In the late 1920s the factories shut down and the city poured sand, silt, and garbage into the channel separating Barren Island from the mainland. The area functioned as a garbage dump until 1953, when the landfill was capped. Decades of erosion have uncovered the artifacts that dot the shore today. Glass bottles make up most of the debris— hence the bay's nickname, Bottle Beach-but you may also find saddle fragments, equine teeth, art-deco cosmetics cases, and broken toys. All are from 1953 or earlier, making the bay a garbage-strewn portal...

One of the less traveled and unique places in NYC. Look up online maps if you are planning to get there from near the bridge, it will save you a headache of getting lost in the surrounding bushes. If you are Starting from the marina and walking scouts you are all set. The stuff comes in with the tide, look up tide forecast as the beach is impassable closer to the south bend when the tide is high. If you are looking for few small keepsakes you will be able to find them at anytime, but people planning on getting more than some random things will need to show up when the tide starts receding. Good luck in your search! Oh, and during the summer make sure you have insect repellant on you the surrounding marshes are thriving with little creatures just waiting to feast...

To get here, go to Floyd Bennet field, parking immediately on your right after the ranger booth. Walk across Flatbush avenue (wait for the signal the cars are fast). Look for Jamaica bay Greenway sign and look for a trail head next to it. Start on the trail and you quickly come to a point where the trail diverges into three. Take the middle trail and walk about 10 minutes to dead horse bay. Check the tide schedule before you go and go at low tide. Wear thick shoes no sandals or flip flops. To get here without a car, take the q to sheepshead bay and get an...