Today is the 100th anniversary of Prohibition. The 18th Amendment was ratified January 16, 1919 and became effective January 17, 1920.
A few weeks ago I asked Mark, the owner of JP Tavern at 1700 Park Street, about the building's early days when it was the Gangplank speakeasy. He told me that liquor was brought in by sea and air. The adjacent pier on Boca Ciega Bay was ideal for unloading bootleg spirits and Piper-Fuller Flying Field was conveniently nearby for air delivery.
The Gangplank was in the Jungle Prado building (now called Jungle Prada) shown on the west/left side of this circa 1930 low-resolution map from Abandoned and Little-Known Airfields website. Piper-Fuller airfield was the first airport in St. Petersburg. It looks like there might be some "fishing" boats docked at the Jungle pier.
A few weeks ago I asked Mark, the owner of JP Tavern at 1700 Park Street, about the building's early days when it was the Gangplank speakeasy. He told me that liquor was brought in by sea and air. The adjacent pier on Boca Ciega Bay was ideal for unloading bootleg spirits and Piper-Fuller Flying Field was conveniently nearby for air delivery.
The Gangplank was in the Jungle Prado building (now called Jungle Prada) shown on the west/left side of this circa 1930 low-resolution map from Abandoned and Little-Known Airfields website. Piper-Fuller airfield was the first airport in St. Petersburg. It looks like there might be some "fishing" boats docked at the Jungle pier.
Raymond Arsenault in his book St. Petersburg and the Florida Dream 1888-1950, writes
"Despite the efforts of tee-totaling ministers and other moralistic crusaders, St. Petersburg had more than its share of bootleggers, speakeasies, and nightclubs. Local enforcement of Prohibition laws tended to be extremely lax, and liquor was sold by the truckload within the neighborhood of police headquarters. To the delight of most tourists, city officials made sure that nothing interfered with the pursuit of pleasure. Drunk or sober, those in search of the high life could drive out to the Jungle area to visit Walter Fuller's Gangplank Night Club or dance the night away at the Coliseum."
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| St. Petersburg's first night club. |
JP Tavern today:
Jungle Pier today:
Mark invited JP Tavern visitors to write on the outdoor bar counter top.
I wrote down this blog's URL (at bottom) but I didn't get a very good picture of it.
There are rumors that Prohibition era kingpin Al Capone was part owner of the Gangplank, that he stayed at the Jungle Hotel and played golf with Babe Ruth on the Jungle course (ok, I made up the golf part). There's no evidence to support any of that. In fact, a thorough study of Al Capone's activities suggests he was never in the Jungle. An article by Will Michaels in the Northeast Journal describes Al Capone's limited presence in St. Pete.
A NEW LOOK AT AL CAPONE IN ST. PETE – PART 1
A NEW LOOK AT AL CAPONE IN ST. PETE – PART 2
If Al Capone was not running the illegal bootlegging operation at the Gangplank, it seems likely the notorious "Fred the Barber" (see October 14, 2019 post) was involved in some way.
We may never know.
Wait a minute! Stop the presses!!!
I searched the blog archives and found this photo of Al Capone, Babe Ruth, some other guy, and Fred the Barber at the Jungle Club Hotel.
Cheers!
