Secret Prohibition smuggling tunnel uncovered
By Annie HayesA secret tunnel used during the Prohibition era to illicitly hide alcohol has been discovered in Tennessee.
A Tennessee businessman has discovered a secret Prohibition tunnel used to transport bootleg alcoholOwner of Tennessee Valley Pecan Company, David Armistead, learned of the secret passageway from his landlord when he began renting the building in Decatur.
Such passageways and rooms were often used to hide liquor from federal enforcement agents following the 18th Amendment to the US Constitution which banned the sale of alcohol.
Armistead discovered empty bottles in the tunnel, along with empty boxes displaying date stamps from the 1930s – many of which were too brittle to move.
He decided to make the tunnel visible to the public by placing a sheet of plexiglass across the entrance, giving tourists a chance to catch a glimpse of the Prohibition period in the city’s history.
He told The News Courier: “It’s like history frozen in time. This building has a lot of charm, and we’re glad to be in it. We made some renovations, but we kept this because it’s a neat part of the city’s history.”