The Bowery Boys — New York City History Podcast
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Episode #490The Murder of William Poole, aka Bill the Butcher
July 17, 2026
It’s a scene more commonly imagined today in a Wild West saloon -- a shootout at Stanwyx Hall, across from the most elegant hotel in New York City. The year was 1855, and the combatants were bitter rivals who had fought many times, including…
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“New York City History,
One Story at a Time”
Since 2007, Greg Young and Tom Meyers have been digging up the wild, weird, and wonderful history of New York City — one episode at a time. Every two weeks, we release a new podcast episode exploring New York’s neighborhoods, pivotal events, and most colorful characters.
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Guided walking tours through the streets of New York history. Small groups, big stories.
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Upcoming Events
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July 29, 2026
Live at the Salmagundi Club! It’s the Bowery Boys and the Gilded Gentleman
Join us for a book event in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Bowery Boys’ Adventures in Old New…
Recent Articles
Brooklyn History
Screaming Phantoms, Tomahawks, Phantom Lords, Dirty Ones and other gangs of 1970s Williamsburg, Brooklyn
The Dirty Ones, a notorious gang from Williamsburg. My new column for A24 Films (a tie-in to the new movie A Most Violent Year) is up…
Events
Live at the Salmagundi Club! It’s the Bowery Boys and the Gilded Gentleman
Join us for a book event in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Bowery Boys' Adventures in Old New York -- and at the famed…
Gangs of New York
Who were the Short Tails? The crazy, violent habits of the real Lower East Side gang
One of the few photos ever taken of any New York street gang was this image shot in 1887 by Jacob Riis of the Short…
Adventures In Old New York
Firecracker Lane: New York’s explosive shopping district
Looking for a healthy assortment of fireworks to ignite for the Fourth of July holiday? In New York, from the late 19th century until the 1930s,…