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Mysterious Stories Neighborhoods Podcasts

Ghost Stories of the Five Boroughs: The Bowery Boys Halloween Special

 On January 1, 1898, Greater New York was formed from the union of two cities – New York and Brooklyn, along with other towns and villages of the region, creating the five boroughs we know and love today.  But each of those five boroughs brings their own unique histories and personalities. And so for this… Read More

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Mysterious Stories Podcasts

Urban Legends of New York City: Alligators, Maniacs and Aliens, Oh My!

New York City has its fair share of famous ‘urban legends’ — persistent rumors, too good to be true, often macabre and dark.  No, we’re not talking about just about ghost stories. (Those arrive next episode.) We mean far fetched, reality defying fantasies sometimes rooted in science fiction and horror – with just enough bearing to… Read More

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Mysterious Stories Podcasts

Gotham’s Greatest Ghosts: The Bowery Boys Halloween Specials

Our first ghost stories show was released on October 11, 2007, featuring New York City’s famous haunted tales and urban legends (with historical context). Since that time we have released seventeen Halloween-related shows as well as a recording of our Joe’s Pub live show. Take a spooky trip down memory lane with a re-listen to… Read More

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Events Mysterious Stories

The Bowery Boys Live: Ghost Stories of New York TICKETS NOW ON SALE

Tickets for this year’s Bowery Boys Ghost Stories of Old New York show at Joe’s Pub are now sale over at the Joe’s Pub website.  Tom and Greg return to Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater with their SIXTH annual Halloween ghost stories live show, conjuring the spooky folklore and mysterious urban legends that have famously… Read More

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Gilded Age New York Mysterious Stories Neighborhoods Podcasts

The Recluse of Herald Square: The Mystery of Ida Wood

Ida Wood had a secret. Born Ida Mayfield in New Orleans, Ida moved to New York in the 1850s and through her marriage to Benjamin Wood, publisher of the New York Daily News, she entered society.  By the 1870s and 80s, Ida’s name was found in the social columns of the city’s newspapers. So why,… Read More

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Mysterious Stories Podcasts

The Ghosty Men: The Story of the Collyer Brothers

You better clean your room or you’ll end up like the Collyer Brothers. New York City, a city crammed of 8.6 million people. It’s filled with stories of people who just want to be left alone – recluses, hermits, cloistering themselves from the public eye, closing themselves off from scrutiny. But none attempted to seal… Read More

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Mysterious Stories Newspapers and Newsies

The Earthquake of 1884! A few parallels to today’s quake

New York has never suffered severely from the effects of an earthquake. Most recently, the one felt in 2011— reportedly of 5.8 or 5.9 magnitude, centered around Virginia and affecting many Northeast metropolitan areas — ranks quite high on the list of tremors felt here. There’s no way to compare that local event to the really early quakes, as the Richter… Read More

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Mysterious Stories Podcasts

The Bowery Boys Halloween Special: Ghosts of the Gilded Age

This newly edited edition of this episode of the Bowery Boys is now running on the The Gilded Gentleman podcast. Listen today: PODCAST Four strange and spooky tales taken from New York City newspaper articles published during the Gilded Age For this year’s 10th annual Bowery Boys Halloween special, we’re highlighting haunted tales from the… Read More

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Landmarks Mysterious Stories Podcasts

Ghost Stories by Gaslight: Hauntings of Old New York

A brand new batch of haunted houses and spooky stories, all from the gaslight era of New York City, the illuminating glow of the 19th century revealing the spirits of another world. Greg and Tom again dive into another batch of terrifying ghost stories, using actual newspaper reports and popular urban legends to reveal a… Read More

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Film History Mysterious Stories

Scream Time: Ten Fun Horror Films Set In New York City

Horror movies normally go for nameless suburbs, dark woods or remote Victorian-style haunted houses for their scary settings, so it’s a wonderful treat when New York City and its recognizable landmarks get to host a few cinematic monsters. Ever since King Kong traipsed up the Empire State Building, filmmakers have used the city’s architecture as… Read More

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Mysterious Stories

‘Burning Gotham’: New audio fiction podcast about Old New York and the Great Fire of 1835

If you’re into radio dramas, historical epics and intriguing tales about New York City, we think you’ll like Burning Gotham, the new podcast produced by The Wallbreakers, weaving the biographies of several real-life New York City figures into a speculative tale leading to the Great Fire of 1835. On the frigid blustery night of December… Read More

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Hudson Valley Mysterious Stories Podcasts

Ghost Stories of the Hudson River: Exploring Five Haunted Histories

Beware! The ghosts and goblins of the Hudson River Valley have been awakened from their dark slumber. In this year’s annual celebration of New York urban legends and folktales, we journey up the Hudson River to explore the region’s spookiest stories. Tales of mystery and the supernatural have possessed the villages and towns of the… Read More

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Mysterious Stories Podcasts The Gilded Gentleman

Getting a Bad Rap: Spiritualism in the 19th Century

On a new episode of The Gilded Gentleman, prepare for a very chilling exploration of spiritualism with Carl and a man very attuned to the spirit world. Many people throughout the 19th century were fascinated with the idea of connecting with the beyond. Even the famous ‘Commodore’ Cornelius Vanderbilt was intrigued with the notion. Historian Anthony Bellov joins Carl… Read More

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Landmarks Mysterious Stories

New York City’s Most Famous Haunted Houses

For fifteen years now, The Bowery Boys: New York City History podcast has featured a special Halloween show focusing on some of New York City’s scariest tales. You can find our back catalog of ghost story podcasts here.  Here’s a little tribute to some of our favorite haunted homes — which also just happen to be fascinating historic… Read More

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Brooklyn History Mysterious Stories

For Whom The Ghost Tolls: A Haunting in Bedford-Stuyvesant

The Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant is defined by its architectural character, rows of impressive brownstones and ornate apartment buildings which trace back to the late 19th century.   It was once two separate villages — Bedford and Stuyvesant Heights — combined to appeal to new residents in the ever-expanding city of Brooklyn.  The Bed-Stuy of… Read More