176. The History Of Hart's Island- The Largest Graveyard for Victims of the HIV/AIDS Epidemic

A mile-long island in New York holds more than a million bodies. No headstones. No funerals. Just rows of pine boxes disappearing into the earth.

Just off the coast of the Bronx sits Hart Island, America’s largest public cemetery and the final resting place for the people society forgot. Since 1869, the island has received the unclaimed, the unidentified, the poor, and even victims of epidemics, quietly burying them in long trenches beneath the soil.

In this episode, we explore the haunting history of Hart Island and the millions of lives laid to rest there from Civil War prisoners and AIDS victims to the marginalized dead of modern New York. What began as a city potter’s field became a hidden archive of tragedy, inequality, and forgotten humanity. One of the most chilling chapters in American queer and urban history.

Hosted by Jordi and Brad, Beers With Queers: A True Crime Podcast dives into chilling crimes, queer history, and twisted justice, all with a cold one in hand.

Press play, grab a drink, and join us as we uncover the darkest corners of LGBTQ+ history.

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