On Saturday June 8, the Deadline Club gathered together to follow in the footsteps of pioneering journalist Nellie Bly with “The Madhouse Tour” on Blackwell’s Island – now called Roosevelt Island.
Today seen as America’s first investigative journalist, Bly feigned insanity and was committed, then ferried across the East River to “Damnation Island” on assignment for Joseph Pulitzer’s The World. Her sensational undercover story exposed horrific conditions at the “lunatic asylum,” sparked major reforms and paved the way for her later adventure, “Around the World in 80 Days.”
Among the tour’s many highlights included a trip inside what remains of the asylum – today a beautifully renovated apartment complex known as “The Octagon.” – and a visit to the scenic sculpture garden, “The Girl Puzzle,” created in her honor, called a “spiritual experience” when it opened three years ago. Attendees also relived Bly’s days incognito as a madhouse patient through dramatic readings.
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See a photo gallery from the event below.
