Charlotte's Speakeasy in Farmingdale takes visitors back in time

<p>A cellar in Farmingdale has been transformed into a 1920s speakeasy, taking visitors back in time.</p>

News 12 Staff

Jan 29, 2018, 1:09 PM

Updated 2,271 days ago

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Long Island's roots to the Roaring '20s are making a comeback. A cellar in Farmingdale has been transformed into a 1920s speakeasy, taking visitors back in time.
John and Nick DeVito opened Charlotte's Speakeasy on Main Street in Farmingdale in November. They hope to make the space into the hot spot it was back in the 1920s.
"It was the village historian who had documents that it was a lady's clothing store and a speakeasy downstairs," says Nick DeVito.
A speakeasy was an illegal establishment that sold alcohol during the 1920s prohibition.
The DeVito brothers own Charlotte's Frozen Yogurt on the main level, but reopened the 1920s speakeasy in the cellar after finding clues about the building's past - like a hidden escape route.
Historians say Farmingdale's South Shore location was perfect for alcohol distribution.
"It was very easy to land foreign alcohol on the shore and once you were on the Island there were a number of routes, or the railroad to get it to small villages like Farmingdale," says Jonathan Olly, of The Long Island Museum.
To get into the bar you need to know the password. It can be found on their website, but it changes weekly.


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