The Most Notorious Men of Prohibition Era Windsor

In January of 1920, the United States enacted the 18^th amendment, marking the start of prohibition. All production, sale, and transport of alcohol was made illegal. At around the same time, the Liquor Control Act in Ontario outlawed drinking in public, but not the manufacture and export of liquor. These laws encouraged the illicit sale of alcohol to flourish in towns that bordered the U.S., including Windsor. Violence and lawlessness followed.

Rum runners began popping up across the city. A well-known one was Harry Low, the man that built the Low-Martin Mansion. While living there, Low hosted Al Capone and members of The Purple Gang. Low was accused of murdering the bookkeeper of Carling Brewery and other crimes, running him into bankruptcy and causing him to lose the mansion in 1934.

Even in churches, prohibition brought people to violence. Reverend Leslie Spracklin strongly supported the liquor ban and formed a brigade to enforce the law. He and his men targeted Babe Trumble, the man who owned and ran Chappell House Bar (see photo below). The gang broke in one night and when Spracklin couldn’t find any liquor, he allegedly shot Trumble in a fit of rage. Spracklin’s congregation bailed him out of jail and the reverend was eventually found not guilty – he claimed self-defence.

Chappell House was known by a lot of names over the years, probably best known as The Lido. In 2006 it suffered its second disastrous fire and was demolished. The lot where it once stood is located at 3885 Sandwich Street, across Chappell Street from a Tim Hortons. An 11-story apartment building is slotted to be built on the large, vacant lot.

Prohibition-era Windsor is one of the richest parts of our history, full of compelling stories of heartbreak, violence, and surprises. Visit our social media pages to find our video series on Essex County’s history if you can’t get enough!