Black Sheep and Prohibition in Key West
Every family has its black sheep. Mine was no exception. My grandfather was a well-known lawman in North Jersey back in the first half of the twentieth century. He was responsible for bringing many gangsters to justice. You might even recognize some of their names. But much to his embarrassment, one of his brothers was a bootlegger in Atlantic City during Prohibition. This great-uncle of mine was such a persona non grata in our family that I’m not even sure of his first name.
Every family has its black sheep. Mine was no exception. My grandfather was a well-known lawman in North Jersey back in the first half of the twentieth century. He was responsible for bringing many gangsters to justice. You might even recognize some of their names. But much to his embarrassment, one of his brothers was a bootlegger in Atlantic City during Prohibition. This great-uncle of mine was such a persona non grata in our family that I’m not even sure of his first name.
You may have watched Boardwalk Empire on HBO a few years ago. The character of Nucky
Thompson, played by Steve Buscemi, was based on the real life of South Jersey
crime boss Nucky Johnson. Since Nucky Johnson controlled all the bootlegging in
and out of Atlantic City, I suspect Great-Uncle Black Sheep was one of his
henchmen.
Because of my family history, I was fascinated by
some history I stumbled upon during a trip to Key West. With the extension of
the Florida East Coast railroad, tourists didn’t have to travel to Havana
during Prohibition in order to drink. They could winter in Key West and avail
themselves of the many illicit bars that dotted Duval Street and other parts of
Monroe County, thanks to the rumrunners who routinely traveled the ninety miles
between Cuba and Key West. Although they needed to stay vigilant to avoid
capture by Prohibition agents, the Key West rumrunners knew local
law-enforcement would look the other way.
One such rumrunner was Raul Vasquez who not only
imported large quantities of Cuban liquor, he ran a “club” at 1117 Duval
Street. Most businesses advertise to attract customers, but when you’re running
an illegal business, you can’t take out ads in the local newspaper or put up
billboards. Most operators would post a small notice reading “club in rear.” However,
Raul came up with a rather ingenious way of promoting his drinking and gambling
establishment without violating the law.
Many old frame structures in Key West were decorated
with Victorian style gingerbread, especially enclosing porches and bordering
outside staircases. Instead of the traditional gingerbread motifs carved into
the spindles and railings, Raul commissioned decorative gingerbread depicting
bottles as well as hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs to advertise that liquor
and gambling were available at his establishment.
Today Raul’s old speakeasy is a bed and breakfast,
but part of its Prohibition history can still be seen in those upper story porch
railings.
I’ve plumbed the depths of my family history to come up with plots for many of my mysteries and romantic suspense books. After learning about Raul, I have to wonder if he and Great-Uncle Black Sheep ever crossed paths. Did my bootlegging ancestor travel back and forth to Cuba from Key West? If so, did he occasionally imbibed at Raul's speakeasy?
I just may have to send Anastasia or Gracie to Key West in a future book to find out.
I’ve plumbed the depths of my family history to come up with plots for many of my mysteries and romantic suspense books. After learning about Raul, I have to wonder if he and Great-Uncle Black Sheep ever crossed paths. Did my bootlegging ancestor travel back and forth to Cuba from Key West? If so, did he occasionally imbibed at Raul's speakeasy?
I just may have to send Anastasia or Gracie to Key West in a future book to find out.
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