Kit Burns

Biography

Kit Burns kept the pulse of New York’s working-class neighborhoods through his saloon and sporting hall, where bare-knuckle contests and other rough-and-ready entertainments drew crowds hungry for diversion in tough times. Though the Bowery garnered an edgy reputation, he provided a consistent livelihood for fighters, staff, and patrons alike, becoming a familiar figure in the city’s colorful, resilient street culture.

He also used his establishment as a gathering place that could unite men from diverse backgrounds, and those who knew him testify to the care he showed his employees in times of illness and need. Today he is remembered at Calvary Cemetery as a symbol of the gritty determination that animated urban life in his era.