Burning Gotham

New York 1835: A City at its tipping point. It’s ten years since the completion of the Erie Canal. New York City’s population is now over 270,000. Most of these people live below Fourteenth Street in wooden or brick buildings no taller than five stories. The gap between rich and poor is rapidly expanding as each week thousands of new men and women pour onto New York’s dangerously overcrowded streets. Many come to earn an honest living. Others for more nefarious reasons. Several historical lives converge in this scripted audio fiction series about the fastest growing city in the world, and the opportunists who shaped it.

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Burning Gotham

Upcoming August Tours and Webinars

August 05, 2025 • The WallBreakers

Hey everyone, James Scully here. I've got some upcoming tours and webinars this month I wanted to tell you about, including a brand new tour!

I'm doing a webinar on the history of Bay Ridge this Thursday August 7th at 7PM eastern time. Click here for more info and to register. If you're interested and can't make it live, don't worry, I'll be emailing all those who register a video of it once it's finished.

On Sunday August 10th at 12:30PM I'm running "Murder, Mayhem, Money, and History in Old Northern Bay Ridge." Click here for more information, stops along the tour, and tickets.

On Sunday August 17th at 12:30PM I'm running "Murder, Mayhem, Money, and History in Old Southern (Fort Hamilton) Bay Ridge." Click here for more information, stops along the tour, and tickets.

I'm debuting a new tour on Sunday August 24th at 1PM which I'm very excited about! It's a walking tour of Old New Utrecht, Brooklyn as we dive deeper into this area of southern Kings County tracing its history all the way back to the Dutch (complete with a cemetery!). Click here for more info, stops along the tour, and tickets.

And for those looking for something fun to do over Labor Day weekend, I'll be running the New Utrecht tour again on Sunday August 31st, at 1PM. Here's a link for more info and tickets.

These tours have been very popular with locals and non-locals alike. Bay Ridge has a long history and you'll hear about things, events, family names etc... that are familiar with those who love the history New York. Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and NYC proper are all intertwined with each other.