Burning Gotham

Hey everyone, James Scully here. This Saturday, December 16th, is the 188th anniversary of the Great Fire of 1835. It burned the entire financial district in New York City to the ground. The fire was so big it could be seen from Philadelphia, 90 miles away.

I’m doing two walking tours, one at 12PM and one at 4PM on the anniversary in conjunction with the audio fiction soap opera set in 1835 NYC I've developed called Burning Gotham — http://burninggotham.com/. Burning Gotham was a 2022 Tribeca Film Festival audio selection.

Join us as we explore lower Manhattan and the notable sights and scandals of 1830s New York, with a close look at 1835 and how a single year forever changed New York City in big ways.

Included here are links where you can buy tickets to both — https://linktr.ee/thewallbreakers

I hope to see you there!

BURNING GOTHAM 006: I PRAY FOR YOU TOO

Aaron Columbus runs a big errand for John Jacob Astor. It takes him to a rectory north of town. There, Brother Basil gives Aaron a tip on where to find genuine $2 Second National Bank plates.

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Download Episode Transcript

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Written By:
Olga Lysenko & James Scully

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Cast:
Alain Laforest
Roland Lane
Nancy Pop
Gustavo Rodriguez
James Scully

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Engineer:
Josh Wilcox of Brooklyn Podcasting Studio

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Director & Post-Producer:
James Scully

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Support Burning Gotham on Patreon

BURNING GOTHAM 001: MOVING DAY

May 1st, 1835 — It’s a cold and rainy Moving Day. Every renter in New York is out on the street looking for lodging. Most of the city’s quarter-million live below Houston Street in buildings four stories or smaller, but construction is booming.

New people are pouring onto New York’s dangerously overcrowded streets by the thousands. Rich and poor, many come to earn an honest living. Others for more nefarious reasons. It’s the perfect place to begin.

Aaron Columbus is an illegitimate son, desperate to make his fortune. Together with Aaron’s brother Wyndham Bowen—an African man born in Europe—they involve themselves in backroom deals, Abolitionism, potential war with France, and City politics.

Aaron has struck an illegal import deal with John Jacob Astor, America’s richest man. The import? Two exiled Russian Countesses; Sorina and Raisa Zubov, and their inheritance—eleven pounds of diamonds.

The two women have just arrived in New York.

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Download Episode Transcript

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Written By:
Olga Lysenko & James Scully

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Cast:
Eirik Gislason
Kacie Laforest
Roland Lane
Mary Murphy
Anna Pirogov
Nancy Pop
Matt Roper
James Scully

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Music:
The Hesperus Early Music Ensemble
The Itinerant Band

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Engineer:
Josh Wilcox of Brooklyn Podcasting Studio

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Director & Post-Producer:
James Scully

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Support Burning Gotham on Patreon

Hey everyone! James Scully here. I’m doing a webinar and walking tour this week in conjunction with the audio fiction soap opera set in 1835 NYC I've developed called Burning Gotham — http://burninggotham.com/
The walking tours have been very popular. I'm doing one this coming Saturday 12/09/2023 in Lower Manhattan with Eyes on Manhattan at 1PM — https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/eyesonmanhattan/items/506819/calendar/2023/12/?flow=no&full-items=yes
And for those who can't come and are interested in this wild period of U.S. and NYC history, I'm doing a webinar with the New York Adventure Club this Friday 12/08/2023 at 5:30PM eastern time — https://www.nyadventureclub.com/event/1830s-nyc-a-decade-of-social-political-geographical-upheaval-webinar-registration-752806914747/
Also, next Saturday, December 16th, is the 188th anniversary of the Great Fire of 1835. It burned the entire financial district to the ground under very interesting circumstances. I’ll have two tours that day.
Included here are links where you can buy tickets to all of these. This week’s webinar is $10 and Saturday’s walking tour is $35 — https://linktr.ee/thewallbreakers
I'd love to see you there!

Right now, experience New York City like you’ve never before. Will you make the right deal? Or fall to greed? But whatever you choose, just make sure you get out in time.
Out now on your favorite podcast app, Burning Gotham — The 2022 Tribeca Select audio soap opera about the fastest growing city in the world, and the opportunists who shaped it.

Find out more at BurningGotham.com