ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - Beneath the streets of Downtown Alexandria sits a remnant of the city’s history that’s been all-but forgotten to time. Until recently, that is.

In August 1918, the State of Louisiana ratified the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting the manufacturing, transporting and the sale of alcohol. By January 1920, the 18th Amendment became law throughout the nation.

Louisiana’s stance on the new amendment was mixed. Many religious organizations, suffragettes and temperance organizations supported it. Many others did not.

There were even reports that then-Governor Huey P. Long would not enforce prohibition.

Bootlegging and hidden saloons, known as speakeasies, grew in popularity across the state —even here in Central Louisiana.

“Almost nobody knows other tha

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