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 western 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 Nautical 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. The English crown granted Thomas Pell ownership of the island and parts of Westchester County, which lasted until 1749, when ownership passed to other individuals. During the 1700s, many of the island’s residents were either oystermen or Hellgate pilots who helped navigate ships down the East River to New York Harbor. Ideally situated to service schooners traveling between New York and points north and south, the island became an important shipbuilding and yachting center during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The two world wars brought about a conversion from yacht building to the construction of submarine chasers, tugboats, Vosper-style P.T. boats, landing craft, and minesweepers for the United States government. After World War II, yachting returned and with it the building of 12-meter sloops that successfully defended the America’s Cup. Today the presence of yacht clubs, sailing schools, marinas, sailmakers, fishing and lobster boats, as well as marine supply and repair shops, reflect City Island’s role as a nautical community.

The City Island Historical Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the collection, preservation, and display of artifacts in the Nautical Museum, which is housed in one of the area’s most picturesque buildings, the old Public School 17, built in 1897 on one of the highest points on the island. The school continued in use until 1975, when P. S. 175 was built on City Island Avenue. When the old school building was sold in 1986, the city reserved space for use by the City Island Historical Society and the Community Center. Several old classrooms now serve as galleries for the museum.