Speakeasy, also known as a "blind pig" or a "blind tiger," is an illicit or unlicensed establishment dispensing alcoholic beverages. In 1929, Wilbur E. Rogers, a reporter for The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, opined that Freeport had 15 speakeasies.
Locations of speakeasies in Freeport:
Buffalo Avenue (run by Lulu Agard). Raided in July 1929.
Casino Pool (run by Dominick Ferrara). Raided October 1920; April 30, 1921; and August 1921.
Gordon Marine Club (run by John Jacobson) Raided July 1929.
Newton Boulevard (run by Nicholas La Scala). Raided February 1925.
154 South Main Street (run by James Tiernan). Raided in 1932.
Ray Street (run by Algot Luthander). Raided March 1929.
South Columbus Avenue (run by Salvador Fiscella). Raided in July 1922.
South Grove Street (now Guy Lombardo Avenue) (Run by Joseph Troutman). Raided March 1929.
280 Arthur Street (run by Elmer Bechtold). Raided in 1932.
300 Club located at 300 West Merrick Road. (run by Nellie Watson, and Henry Kothe). Scene of a double homicide in 1926.
360 Atlantic Avenue (run by Jacob Ulrich). Raided March 1929.
See also:
Sources:
Pillsbury, S. R. (2003). Speakeasy. In S. I. Kutler (Ed.), Dictionary of American History (3rd ed., Vol. 7, pp. 492-493). New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Arthur Smith was a Freeport police officer who was arrested in a speakeasy located on Liberty Avenue in 1928.
Source:
"Cop Intoxicated at Time of Raid." The Nassau Daily Review. April 3, 1928, 1. Accessed April 26, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071428/1928-04-03/ed-1/seq-1/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, April 26, 2019.
Kate Saxon was arrested in May 1921 for public intoxication on Merrick Road near South Grove Street (now Guy Lombardo Avenue). The newspapers identified her as Mrs. George Saxon.
Sources:
Ancestry.com.
"Arrested for Intoxication Woman Says Liquor was Bought in Freeport." The Daily Review. May 28, 1921, 1. Accessed September 30, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1921-05-28/ed-1/seq-1/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, September 30, 2019.
William G. Schultz was the proprietor of the Alpine Hotel; this establishment was raided in February 1922. During the raid, officers found liquor bottles hidden in old boots and pants.
Source:
"Raiding Party Find 'Hootch' Hid in Discarded Pants and Boots." The Daily Review. February 27, 1922, 1. Accessed September 30, 2019. http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1922-02-27/ed-1/seq-1/.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, September 30, 2019.
Theodore Synett was one of three men arrested after the 60 foot motor boat, Krazy Kat II ,ran aground in Jones Inlet near Freeport in April 1922. His address was given as the Hotel McAlpine in Manhattan.
See Also:
Source:
"Sixty in Peril Over Bootleg Volcano." The New York Times. April 28, 1922, 19. Accessed September 17, 2018. www.newspapers.com.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, September 17, 2018.