The building located at 577 Broadway was once a popular bar named Stanwix Hall, frequented by millionaires and criminals alike, where politicians would socialize with the leading figures of the underworld.  The Martin Scorsese film, Gangs of New York, was based upon the real life Bill “The Butcher” Poole, who ruled crime in New York for decades before being killed in Stanwix Hall.

The man who killed Bill the Butcher, John Morrissey, was later elected to the US Congress.  Back then, politics was a violent business, and political parties often looked for tough guy candidates capable of organizing neighborhoods by force.  Morrissey worked for Tammany Hall.  Bill the Butcher worked for the rival Know-nothing Party.

On February 25^th, 1855, Morrissey and friends caught up to Poole at Stanwix Hall and put a couple of bullets in him—then they stabbed him—then, just for good measure, they beat the crap out of him.  A sturdy man and patriot to the last, he still had the strength to take a final drink and give his valediction: “goodbye boys, I die a true American.”

Experience these and other stories in our SoHo tour.  We offer a unique NY tour experience, told with audio narration, hundreds of pictures, video clips, gps-enabled map, trivia quizzes, local recommendations, and much more.  Walk New York with Racontrs in your hand and take a walk through history.