The Notorious Five Points

Service Description

The notorious Five Points neighborhood in Manhattan was memorialized by Martin Scorsese’s 2002 film “Gangs of New York”. It told of one of the worst slums that ever existed and the Irish (Dead Rabbits) and Nativist gangs that battled for neighborhood dominance. This highly fictionalized story took place in the 1850’s and 60’s but was based on a very real neighborhood centered in what is today’s Chinatown. -Join urban historian and educator Bradley Shaw as he walks you through “The Ould Sixth Ward” and talks about what life was really like in what was considered New York City’s first slum; through stories, the famous and infamous residents and visitors, and locations that still exist today. -As an added bonus, visit the site of the second oldest cemetery in Manhattan. Learn about the famous people within, its secrets and how the site has survived since 1683. Some of the things you will learn about: -How the neighborhood came about -The people who lived there -The first garment district -The second oldest cemetery in NYC -A very famous composer’s first job -A Chinese response to a deadly Russian pogrom in 1903 -Infamous streets and buildings