{"id":281297,"date":"2025-10-06T08:17:37","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T08:17:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/281297\/"},"modified":"2025-10-06T08:17:37","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T08:17:37","slug":"who-were-the-real-bowery-boys-of-new-york-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/281297\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Were the Real Bowery Boys of New York City?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In episode four of Netflix\u2019s House of Guinness<\/a>, Byron Hughes (Jack Gleeson) arrives in the United States determined to legitimize his Guinness family ties by getting the famous Irish stout beer through American ports. However, he quickly falls into a common pitfall for newcomers to New York City: he got lost. Today, it\u2019s safe to ask for directions. In 1868, not so much.<\/p>\n

Hughes taps on the shoulder of what looks like a firefighter, thinking that might be a reasonable person to ask for directions to \u201cFirst Avenue and Eliza Street.\u201d He quickly learns the error of his ways, and, that among all of the street factions ruling New York at that time, the Bowery Boys were among the deadliest.<\/p>\n

\"houseBen Blackall\/Netflix<\/p>\n

Byron arrives in New York City, and is promptly chased by the Bowery Boys.<\/p>\n

Here is everything you need to know about one of the most infamous gangs of New York:<\/p>\n

Were the Bowery Boys really a gang?\"PrintBettmann\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

An engraving of an encounter with a Bowery Boy.<\/p>\n

Yes, but not in the way most people picture gangs today. The Bowery Boys were made up of native New Yorkers<\/a>. They were almost always of a Protestant background, so they were also anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant. They were often members of volunteer fire companies who patrolled their neighborhoods with both fire hoses and their fists. They also had the power to swing local elections, usually by brute force<\/a>.<\/p>\n

During their active years, the Bowery Boys were known for a theatrical sense of style. They typically wore stovepipe hats, red shirts (similar to those worn by volunteer firemen), dark trousers tucked into boots, and slicked-back hair. Their fireman-inspired look reflected their ties to local engine companies.<\/p>\n

Where was the Bowery Boys\u2019 territory?\"PortraitInterim Archives\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Portrait of a Bowery boy, a member of a nativist gang from the Five Points neighborhood of New York city, as published in Frank Leslie\u2019s illustrated newspaper, 1857.<\/p>\n

The Bowery Boys\u2019 territory was primarily in the Bowery neighborhood of lower Manhattan. More specifically, their turf extended along the Bowery, a street that runs from Chatham Square in Chinatown up to Cooper Square, near Astor Place. This placed them directly in the heart of what was then one of the city\u2019s most densely populated, working-class areas.<\/p>\n

The Bowery Boys were particularly active around the Bowery and Five Points area, a notorious neighborhood known for its overcrowding, poverty, and gang activity in the mid-19th century. Five Points was named for the intersection of five streets<\/a>: Orange (now Baxter), Anthony (now Worth), Little Water (no longer existent), Cross (now Park), and Mulberry Street.<\/p>\n

This presents a slight problem with what is depicted in the series: Hughes says he is looking for First Avenue and Eliza Street, the latter of which is the former name for Waverly Place<\/a> in Greenwich Village. But Waverly Place does not intersect with First Avenue then or now, and the Bowery Boys never had territory near what is modern day Greenwich Village.<\/p>\n

What happened to the Bowery Boys?\"MapThe New York Historical\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Boundaries of the Fire Department of the City of New York, circa 1871.<\/p>\n

The formation of a professional, fully-paid fire department in 1865<\/a> pushed out many of the volunteer fire brigades that had served as gang strongholds. Growing immigrant populations also weakened the appeal of nativist street movements. Some former members went into politics or joined city departments, while others faded into obscurity. By the end of the 19th century, the Bowery Boys had gradually disappeared.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Rachel King (she\/her) is a news writer at\u00a0Town & Country. Before joining\u00a0T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at\u00a0Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in\u00a0Forbes,\u00a0Observer,\u00a0Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and\u00a0Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at\u00a0@rk.passport<\/a>.<\/p>\n