Chumley’s: The Speakeasy For The Literary Crowd
By Linda Speckhals | December 28, 2022
Prohibition took effect on January 17, 1920, which meant that if you wanted to drink, you had to obtain your alcohol from druggists for “medicinal” purposes or clergymen for “religious” purposes. Of course, there were other options: you could get your booze from bootleggers, or go to one of the unlicensed barrooms, known as “speakeasies.” To gain admission, you had to quietly speak a password so that law enforcement couldn’t hear you.
Before It Was Chumley's
One of the most famous speakeasies was Chumley’s at 86 Barrow Street in Greenwich Village, a location that Leland Stanford Chumley transformed when he recognized that “the obscure three-story structure” was the perfect spot to open a speakeasy in 1922. The building that housed Chumley’s was constructed in 1831, getting its start as a blacksmith’s shop and a stable, but there were also rumors that it may have housed runaway slaves in antebellum America.
The Owner Was A Wobbly
Chumley, who had held a number of jobs, from waiter to editorial writer and cartoonist to painter, was an active member of the socialist group, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), also known as the Wobblies. He found that the building was a good place for the Wobblies to hold their meetings. In the women’s room, there was a one-person dumbwaiter that could take people upstairs to the second floor for secret meetings, or if they needed to hide from the Bomb Squad.
Keeping Things Hidden
Chumley’s main entrance was 86 Bedford Street, which opened to the sidewalk but was unmarked except with the number 86. A second secret entrance (also unmarked) was at 58 Barrow Street, which was accessed through Pamela Court. Supposedly, there may have been a third entrance through a tunnel connected to a neighboring home. People entered through the back entrance, but there was also a secret exit behind a bookcase, as well as a trap door. These features made it easy to hide the alcohol and for the patrons to make a quick getaway during Prohibition raids. Allegedly, prior to Prohibition raids, the police would call ahead to warn the bartender to “86” all the patrons, essentially sending them out through the Bedford Street exit as the raid would start when they entered via the Pamela Court entrance, which was the technical address of Chumley’s. And yes, that is possibly the origin of the phrase "to 86 someone" or something.
