Rosanna Peers (?-1840) was an American
criminal fence and underworld figure in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
during the early-to mid 19th century. She is the earliest known business owner to begin actively dealing with the city's emerging underworld and whose
Centre Street grocery store
A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, a ...
and
dive bar
A dive bar is typically a small, unglamorous, eclectic, old-style drinking establishment with inexpensive drinks; it may feature dim lighting, shabby or dated decor, neon beer signs, packaged beer sales, cash-only service, and a local clientele. ...
, established in 1825 just south of
Anthony Street (on the northern side of present-day
Foley Square
Foley Square, also called Federal Plaza, is a street intersection in the Civic Center neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City, which contains a small triangular park named Thomas Paine Park. The space is bordered by Worth Street to the ...
), was used as the longtime headquarters of the
Forty Thieves Forty Thieves or 40 Thieves may refer to:
* the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
Groups of people
* the Forty Thieves (New York gang), an 18th-century New York street gang
*The Forty Thieves (New York City Common Council 1852–1853)
* the ...
upon their formation by
Edward Coleman in 1826.
[ Asbury, Herbert. ''The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the New York Underworld''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1928. (pg. 20-21) ][ Moss, Frank. ''The American Metropolis from Knickerbocker Days to the Present Time''. London: The Authors' Syndicate, 1897. (pg. 66-67)][Ellis, Edward Robb. ''The Epic of New York City: A Narrative History''. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2005. (pg. 230-231) ]
Her establishment was described as a sort of early
underground speakeasy where "piles of decaying vegetables were displayed on racks outside the store" while Peers provided a back room "in which she sold the fiery liquor of the period at lower prices than it could be obtained in the recognized saloons". Her store would become a popular underworld hangout for criminals in the
Five Points district and throughout the city during the next two decades.
Peers' success encouraged others to open similar establishments along Anthony, Orange and Cross Streets catering to the New York underworld as the later-famous resorts, dance halls and saloons would originate from this area.
References
*Asbury, Herbert. ''The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the New York Underworld''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1928.
*Ellis, Edward Robb. ''The Epic of New York City: A Narrative History''. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2005.
*De Andrade, Margarette. ''Water Under the Bridge''. Rutland, Vermont: Charles E. Tuttle, 1988.
*Demaris, Ovid. ''America the Violent''. New York: Cowles Book Company, 1970.
*Moss, Frank. ''The American Metropolis from Knickerbocker Days to the Present Time''. London: The Authors' Syndicate, 1897.
External links
Rosanna Peers and the Forty Thieves Gang
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peers, Rosanna
Year of birth missing
Year of death missing
1840s deaths
Criminals from New York City
People from Five Points, Manhattan