When Alabamians turned caves into Prohibition-era speakeasies to party underground
And you though Speakeasies were just an up-town thing?
During America’s Prohibition era and beyond, Alabamians needed places to imbibe out of sight of law enforcement officers. In many cases, drinkers were literally driven underground as caves became popular party spots across the country. Bars opened in at least three large cave systems in Alabama: DeSoto Caverns, now called Majestic Caverns, in Talladega County; Shelta Cave in Madison County; and Bangor Cave in Blount County.
Caves were used during nationwide Prohibition (1920-1933) and during the subsequent years when Alabama laws continued to make alcohol illegal. Some Alabama counties continued to outlaw alcohol into the 21st century, with Clay County being the last holdout when two of its cities legalized alcohol in 2016.
Club caves were sometimes modified into swanky clubs with bars carved into stone, dining tables and dance floors.
According to an article by the Encyclopedia of Alabama, authorities were busy chasing bootleggers in Alabama throughout the 1920s.
“Along the Gulf Coast, the U.S. Coast Guard patrolled for smugglers trying to bring alcohol ashore from Cuba,” the article said. “The Customs Bureau watched the port, the rail lines connecting Mobile to New Orleans, and the roads leading to Birmingham and beyond. Inland, agents of the Prohibition Bureau raided speakeasies, where customers ordered illicit cocktails, and busted up backwoods stills.”
During Prohibition, as many as 18,000 …