This private upstate New York island could be yours for just $700K

Hannah Frishberg

Published Nov 24, 2024

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A river runs up to the shore.

Courtesy Jeanne Casatelli

Hannah Frishberg

Published Nov 24, 2024

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For less than the price of many New York City one-bedroom apartments, a pristine 97-acre hunk of New York real estate could be yours.

Campbell Island, located on the Hudson River just outside of Albany, is an undeveloped plot of land in search of a buyer.

Longtime owner Jeanne Casatelli is hoping to get around $700,000 — a price that is on the lower end for private islands. On the real estate website Private Islands Inc., where Campbell is currently listed, islands across the country range from $395,000 to $75 million — with the latter price being for an isle “just 10 minutes by helicopter to Miami's infamous South Beach.” In New York, Thompson Island is the most expensive listing at $3.495 million, while the most affordable, Twin Island, is asking $699,000.

Campbell Island at high summer tide.

Courtesy Jeanne Casatelli

Campbell Island is rich with flowers and woods, plateaus, beach areas and a cove, not to mention more than a mile of riverfront, rare 19th century underwater rights and an approved dock permit, according to its owner, Casatelli.

So, what’s the catch?

Accessing the island is complicated. For starters, live railroad tracks connect Campbell to the mainland and make legal access to it a headache, according to Casatelli. It is also adjacent to a nature preserve, making the possibility of further development unlikely.

Campbell Island is both connected to and cut off from the mainland by train tracks.

Courtesy Jeanne Casatelli

Casatelli’s family has owned the island for decades. Her father bought it for less than $25,000 in 1960 and used its natural sand resources for his concrete business. But the island has languished in the decades since his death — beautiful yet untouchable, a unique rural oasis less than three hours from the boroughs.

Despite the challenges, Casatelli dreams of finding someone civic-minded with a stomach for bureaucracy and deep enough pockets to transform Campbell into a slightly more domesticated retreat.

“I hope to find a buyer who appreciates Campbell like I do to pass the baton to,” the upstate resident and retiree said. “I want it to hold onto its unique natural features, but also allow people to come there, by water, by bike, by foot and with vehicles.”

Campbell Island's dirt path.

Courtesy Jeanne Casatelli

She has been seeking such a buyer since the early 1990s. Her search started not long after she inherited a portion of Campbell from her late father. She bought the rest of the island soon afterward.

“It’s so sad,” she said, referring to how the island remains locked away from the masses and is known only to a select few who go there to fish and wander its dirt paths.

“When I walk down there, people are sometimes walking out. They’ll stop and chat and they tell me how much they love it. I like to hear that,” Casatelli said. “I have no idea how many people know about it.”

She only asks that visitors to Campbell not sully it with garbage: “Carry in, carry out” instructs a lone sign.

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