10 Historical Secret Rooms and Hidden Passages

(images via: Huff English)

During America’s Prohibition period of the early 20th century, the alcohol trade (and the associated gambling and prostitution trades) went underground. Speakeasies sprang up around the country. Though they often didn’t serve alcohol – patrons brought their own – they provided a place to get together and share common vices. The ingenuity displayed by some illegal establishments was really amazing. Entire bars, casinos and brothels were cleverly hidden inside “front” businesses. Their entrances were disguised as blank walls, solid concrete floors, and innocuous closets. Although many were discovered and their owners imprisoned, several speakeasies survived, either by cunning or bribery.