Prohibition lasted for 13 years in America, from 1920 to 1933. Residents of Earth had been drinking alcoholic beverages for thousands of years – and now all of a sudden American booze consuming was banned. So what were we supposed to do?

No one wanted to be arrested and thrown in jail for having a tall frosty mug of beer...so Americans started making their own. Homemade stills were constructed and backwoods moonshine soon permeated the countryside...and found its way into secret establishments. Of course, there were more modern ways – but still illegal – to make whiskey, etc. and those were the drinks that made their way into illegal saloons – speakeasys, they were called.

Many speakeasys were hidden in a secret room behind a wall, or in a secluded upstairs area in an attempt to keep away the prying eyes of the G-Men, or way out in the woodsy countryside. Many of them were right under the noses of the authorities, in well-established saloons that had already 'sworn' they would uphold the law.

However, with business sagging and facing closure, some saloons had to fight to stay open by secretly selling beer and whiskey to demanding customers....and they had the secret rooms to do it in. Even police raids couldn't deter these places.

Detroit had many, many speakeasys and now in the 2000s, I consider these places historic buildings. According (and thanks) to Click on Detroit, the six saloons, taverns, and bars listed below were all at one time speakeasys, still surviving after 100 years. Let's take 'em one-by-one, then maybe you'd like to patronize one of 'em someday!

Detroit Bars That Were Once Speakeasys During Prohibition

MORE MICHIGANIA:

The Ideal Bar, Once Used By the Purple Gang for Rumrunning

Michigan During Prohibition

The Purple Gang