On the evening of December 5, 1876, the glorious Brooklyn Theatre caught fire, trapping its audience in a nightmare of flame and smoke. The theater sat near Brooklyn City Hall (today's Brooklyn Borough Hall), and the blaze which destroyed it could be seen as far away as Prospect Park.

The terrible truth emerged by the morning -- almost 300 people died in this disaster. To this day, it remains the worst disaster in Brooklyn's history in terms of lives lost. Of individual one-day disasters in New York City, only the attacks on the World Trade Center and the General Slocum disaster have taken more lives.

But you wouldn't know it from walking through Cadman Plaza today, a bustling public area popular with skateboarders and office workers on lunch breaks. Several historic monuments decorate the plaza today -- but none mark this troubling event in Brooklyn's history.

It's a tragic story that also gives us a glimpse into daily life in Gilded Age Brooklyn. And this is a story of the theater world as well -- of a popular play which took American culture by storm, and of an actress whose reputation would be forever linked with the disaster. Why was star Kate Claxton unfairly called "the fire witch" in the press?

Visit our website for many images and illustrations from this tragic event.

This episode was edited by Kieran Gannon.

The ultimate bar crawl of Old New York continues through a survey of classic bars and taverns that trace their origins from the 1850s through the 1880s.

And this time we're recording within two of America's most famous establishments, joined by the people who know that history the best.

In Part One, we introduced you to the origin story of New York City tavern life in the Dutch and colonial periods, and we ventured into Fraunces Tavern to witness the creation of the United States itself. Then we headed out to Queens and to Neir's Tavern, which quenched the thirsts of horse-racing fans in the early 19th century -- and reinvented itself in the 20th century thanks to Mae West and Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas.

For part two, we fill out our list of the most historic bars and taverns still serving customers in the 21st century -- from SoHo to Williamsburg, from Midtown Manhattan to Red Hook, Brooklyn.

But we center our adventure within two classic Manhattan bars, which wear their histories proudly upon the walls:

-- McSorley's Old Ale House is the most famous Irish saloon in New York City (and dare we even say, the whole country?), and its stacked, cluttered walls -- every strange piece tells a story -- welcome you inside to become a part of its history. Historian Bill Wander and long-time bartender Shane Buggy provide a most intoxicating tour of the joint.

-- Pete's Tavern has become famous as one of America's most enduring literary bars thanks to its long-time association with O. Henry. But there are so many more secrets awaiting you -- from its association with Tammany Hall to its curious transformation into a "flower shop" during Prohibition. General manager Gary Egan and owner Steve Troy reveal many surprising twists in Pete's own history.

This episode was edited and produced by Kieran Gannon.

Visit the website for more images of the famous bars mentioned in this week's show.

We’ve put together the ultimate New York City historic bar crawl, a celebration of the city’s old taverns, pubs, and ale houses with 18th- and 19th-century connections. And along the way, you’ll learn so much about the city’s overall history — from its changing shoreline to the everyday lives of its working-class immigrant populations.

Being an old historic bar isn’t just a novel curiosity for history lovers. It can be good for business and many of the most popular landmark pubs literally wear their stories on the walls — framed newspapers and photographs, memorabilia, old clocks, sailors’ caps and fedoras.

The history of old bars is a little like a ghost story, where a legend has grown up around a historic place, and decades or centuries later, it can be hard to determine the pure truth. In many ways, the myths are as powerful and as interesting as the actual history itself.

In this episode, the first of two parts, Greg and Kieran visit two very different establishments representing the colonial and rustic world of Old New York:

— Fraunces Tavern, one of the most important American landmarks of the Revolutionary War, remains a vibrant spot over 250 years after its stools and tables were occupied with rebellious colonists. Today, its history lovers and workers from the Financial District who enjoy its labyrinthine bar and dining rooms, while upstairs an impressive museum celebrates the tavern’s many eras of greatness.

— Neir's Tavern, in the quiet residential neighborhood of Woodhaven, Queens, once sat next to the popular Union Race Course, one of the key American sports venues of the early 19th century. Horse-racing remains in the bar’s DNA — in its insignia and on its walls. But this surprising spot may be better known for its connections to sassy queen of comedy Mae West and to the iconic Martin Scorsese film Goodfellas, which was filmed here.

PLUS: The Ear Inn! And we tell you with absolute certainty the location of the oldest tavern structure in New York City. You can’t drink beer there anymore, but next to it, you can grab a coffee and a croissant.

Visit the website for more information and images from this week's show.

This episode was produced and edited by Kieran Gannon.

The Bowery Boys Podcast is proud to be sponsored by FOUNDED BY NYC, celebrating New York City's 400th anniversary in 2025 and the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026. Read about all the exciting events and world class institutions commemorating the five boroughs legacy of groundbreaking achievements, and find ways to celebrate the city that's always making history. foundedbynyc.com