The Bowery Boys: New York City History

Tom Meyers, Greg Young

The tides of American history flow through the streets of New York City — from the huddled masses on Ellis Island to the sleazy theaters of 1970s Times Square. Greg and Tom explore more than 400 years of action-packed stories, featuring both classic and forgotten figures who have shaped the world.

  1. 1d ago

    Black Gotham: Origins of Gilded Age New York’s Black Elite

    With Tom Meyers away still working on the Official Gilded Age Podcast, this week we thought we'd share this special episode of The Gilded Gentleman podcast, which also happens to have a few intreguing ties to the HBO show.  Dr. Carla Peterson, author of Black Gotham: Family History of African Americans in Nineteenth-Century New York City, joins Carl Raymond from The Gilded Gentleman podcast to share her research and perspective on the growth and development of the prosperous Black professional class throughout the nineteenth century up to the Gilded Age. In her 2011 groundbreaking book, Peterson sheds light on how this particular corner of the Black community grew as New York became enriched in the late 19th century. She provides insight into leading African-American figures of the day, many missing in contemporary accounts of the period.  And believe it or not, a few characters and situations from the HBO series “The Gilded Age” were designed with Black Gotham in mind. In particular, the father of Peggy Scott (played by Denée Benton) was based on Peterson’s own ancestral family.  This show was originally released by The Gilded Gentleman podcast in November 2023.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  2. Nov 6

    #495 Gouverneur Morris: The Thrilling Adventures of a Founding Father

    Gouverneur Morris was no ordinary Founding Father. His story seems tailor-made for an action-packed, bodice-ripping Netflix series. Morris, whose family estate, Morrisania, lay in what is now the South Bronx, wrote the final draft of the U.S. Constitution and delivered some of the founding era’s most forceful denunciations of slavery. On the Bowery Boys podcast, his name comes up again and again, whether we’re exploring the history of the Bronx or the creation of the Erie Canal. New Yorkers may know him best for his late-in-life involvement in the Commissioners’ Plan of 1811, which established the visionary grid of streets and avenues that defines much of Manhattan today. But you may also know Morris as the Founding Father with the wooden leg—or the one who was very popular with the ladies. He not only braved the American Revolution but also survived the French Revolution without losing his head. Greg is joined on this week's show by Scott S. Greenberger, author of The Forsaken Founder: Gouverneur Morris, the Unsung Patriot who Wrote the Constitution, Stood Up To Slavery and Survived the Reign of Terror, to reintroduce this fascinating figure and explore his distinctive contributions to American history and New York City. This episode was produced and edited by Kieran Gannon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  3. Oct 23

    Boss Tweed and His Gilded Age House of Corruption (Rewind)

    The roots of modern American corruption traces themselves back to a handsome -- but not necessarily revolutionary -- historic structure sitting behind New York City Hall. The Tweed Courthouse is more than a mere landmark. Once called the New York County Courthouse, the Courthouse better known for many traits that the concepts of law and order normally detest -- greed, bribery, kickbacks and graft. Tammany Hall, the oft-maligned Democratic political machine, served a unique purpose in New York City in the 1850s and 60s, tending to the needs of newly arrived Irish immigrants who were being ignored by inadequate city services. But they required certain favors like the support of political candidates. And that is how William 'Boss' Tweed rose through the ranks of city politics to become the most powerful man in New York City. It was Tweed, through various government organizations and his trusty Tweed Ring, who transformed this new courthouse project into a cash cow for the greediest of the Gilded Age. How did the graft function during the construction of the Tweed Courthouse? What led to Tweed's downfall? And how did this literal temple to corruption become a beloved landmark in the 1980s? We're pleased to re-introduce this classic Bowery Boys episode, remastered and reedited by Kieran Gannon, and first released in 2019. Visit the website for more images from this show and other episodes relating to it.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  4. Oct 16

    Ghost Stories of Old New York (Live At Joe's Pub 2025)

    Live from Joe's Pub at the Public Theater -- it's the Bowery Boys! In a live recording of their 2025 show, a Halloween cabaret spectacle featuring Andrew Austin and Lisa Karlin, Greg and Tom explore five mysterious stories from the pages of New York City history, including... -- A tormented actress in Hell's Kitchen fights off a colonial-era spirit, thanks to a world-renowned paranormal investigator -- The haunting last days of an ancient Upper West Side mansion with a padlocked room that nobody had dared to open -- The terrifying story of a haunted tenement in today's Two Bridges neighborhood and the gangster who attempted to enter it -- A mysterious sighting of three dancing ghosts within the old Flushing Meeting Housecauses a stir in an old Dutch village And the return of Edgar Allan Poe! Also -- what happened to Cheryl Crow (the much-beloved stage prop, not the singer)? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  5. Oct 9

    #494 Scary Stories of Old New York

    There’s a chill in the air. The floorboards in New York’s historic houses seem to creak a little louder, while birds hidden among the trees of Central Park stare down from crooked branches. The lights atop the Empire State Building go dark, and the subway car you’re riding suddenly stops in the middle of a shadowy tunnel. That's right, it's an all-new ... Bowery Boys Ghost Stories of Old New York podcast! Tom and Greg have been recording ghost story podcasts since 2007, and this year they have somehow managed to conjure up yet another batch of historical urban legends, taken from actual newspaper reports: -- Stand Clear of the Closing Ghosts: An eerie encounter on the elevated train, from 1899, leaves one rider running for her doctor in fear -- Severed from the Spirit World: In 1896, a Flatbush man finds a disturbing artifact buried in his cellar, awakening a wandering nighttime spirit who frightens his nosy neighbors -- The Ghost That Slapped Back: A crowded Lower East Side schoolroom became a chamber of nightmares, sending the community to the streets in protest -- Who Is The Ghost In the Window? It's street gangs vs. strangely beautiful spirits in this 1902 tale of a deteriorating house on 42nd Street -- Rosabelle, Believe! This year marks the 100th anniversary of the passing of Harry Houdini, the legendary escape artist with an unusual relationship with death. His mysterious grave site in Queens has become the site of spooky ceremonies. But will he soon be making a return to his former Harlem brownstone? This show was edited and produced by Kieran Gannon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  6. Oct 2

    New York's Most Haunted Historic Places (Best of)

    We have been recording Halloween podcasts about New York City -- for twenty years! The first Bowery Boys ghost story podcast was released on October 11th, 2007, the first time we used actual urban legends about wandering spirits and other unpleasant things as a way to share historical tales about the city. Before the arrival of next week's brand new episode, get in the mood with this best-of compilation of our favorite stories from past shows, featuring places that you can still visit today, pulled from past episodes and compiled together for the very first time. Newly scared, er, I mean, scored and remastered by our producer Kieran Gannon. Whether you're having a drink at the Ear Inn, a rest at the Chelsea Hotel or a meal at the historic One If by Land, Two If By Sea, you're never too far away from an old New York City legend. Not even the Statue of Liberty is exempt from a good ole fashioned ghost story. PLUS: A walk through the most mysterious house in Manhattan, with a surprise appearance by the Gilded Gentleman Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  7. Sep 25

    #493 The Mysterious Fox Sisters

    In the town of Hydesville, south of the bustling city of Rochester, a traveling peddler was brutally murdered and buried in the cellar of a forlorn wooden farmhouse. His restless spirit, it was claimed, haunted the house. In 1848, the teenage girls Kate and Maggie Fox claimed to receive spiritual transmissions from the murdered man. Their gifts included interpreting mysterious knocking sounds and an unusual ability to conjure such otherworldly communications on a whim.  Later joined by their sister Leah, the Fox Sisters soon exhibited greater powers to communicate with the dead. They took this “act” on the road and enchanted some of New York City's most famous men. Through their atmospheric ‘spirit circles’, the Fox Sisters inspired an entirely new belief known as spiritualism. They became household names — and attracted their share of skeptics who vexed the young women throughout their entire lives, attempting to debunk their haunted activities. Were the Fox Sisters truly blessed with a gift of spiritual communication — or were they entertainers with an exquisite ability to deceive? You decide! This episode was produced and edited by Kieran Gannon.  Visit the Bowery Boys website for a whole list of ghost-story podcasts. And see Greg and Tom live at Joe's Pub this Halloween season. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  8. Sep 18

    #492 How Mamie Fish Partied Her Way to Gilded Age Power

    In the summer of 1902, all of Newport was buzzing: a European prince was coming to town, and Mamie Fish — one of the reigning hostesses of American high society — was throwing a dinner in his honor. The young ladies practiced their curtsies. But what walked through the door that night was no prince, but did tell you everything about who Mamie Fish was.She hadn’t started anywhere near the top. Raised in the Gramercy Park neighborhood in the 1850s, she watched her family’s fortune vanish and they relocated to the working class neighborhood of Astoria. She was barely educated, no beauty, and armed with nothing but a wit that could cut glass. It was enough to win Stuyvesant Fish, heir to one of New York’s oldest names and a future railroad president, who adored her for the rest of his life. Mamie essentially invented the theme party at a time when New York society under Mrs. Astor and Ward McAllister was incredibly dull. Mamie’s response was to make it fun: live ducklings paddling down the dinner table, a harvest ball with golden pitchforks, a formal dinner for the dogs of Newport, and a party for the Czar of Russia who turned out to be her partner in crime, Harry Lehr, in a tinfoil crown.Then the world changed around her — the press turned, her husband lost his railroad in a boardroom feud, and her 1913 Mother Goose Ball landed her on the wrong side of history.This week, Tom sits down with Jennifer Wright, author of Glitz, Glam, and a Damn Good Time: How Mamie Fish, Queen of the Gilded Age, Partied Her Way to Power. PLUS: Stand across from Mamie’s Stanford White mansion on the Gilded Age Mansions of Fifth Avenue tour at boweryboyswalks.com.Listen to more glorious tales of the Gilded Age on The Gilded Gentleman Podcast hosted by Carl RaymondSupport the show and get our patron-only podcast Side Streets at patreon.com/boweryboys.This episode was edited and produced by Kieran Gannon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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out of 5
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About

The tides of American history flow through the streets of New York City — from the huddled masses on Ellis Island to the sleazy theaters of 1970s Times Square. Greg and Tom explore more than 400 years of action-packed stories, featuring both classic and forgotten figures who have shaped the world.

Information

  • Creator
    Tom Meyers, Greg Young
  • Years Active
    2007 - 2026
  • Episodes
    576
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Bowery Boys Media

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