Little Apple (Easton, Pennsylvania)
Easton, Pennsylvania, was called the “Little Apple” during Prohibition (1920-1933). The city was known for its speakeasies and places of prostitution, and many men from New York City took the train to visit the “Little Apple.”
A book, The Little Apple—Easton, PA During Prohibition (1917), was written by Richard F. Hope, who has lectured on the “Little Apple.” Easton’s nickname was possibly influenced by the “Big Apple,” the 1920s nickname for New York’s race tracks and, by the late 1920s, a nickname for New York CIty itself. “Little Apple” might have originated as the name of a speakeasy.
A search of digitized Pennsylvania newspapers does not show the term “Little Apple” cited in the 1920s, but Easton newspapers of this period have not been digitized.
Wikipedia: Easton Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in and the county seat of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city’s population was 28,127 as of the 2020 census. Easton straddles the Lehigh River as it flows into the Delaware River, which serves as the city’s eastern geographic boundary with Phillipsburg, New Jersey.
WorldCat record
The little apple : Easton, PA during Prohibition
Author:Richard F. Hope
Manuscript, English, 2017
Publisher: Lulu Press, [Easton, Pa.], 2017
X/Twitter
B. Keane
@BeeBeKeane
If y’all’re ever in Easton, Porter’s Pub has $5 doggy dinners with rice, peas, carrots and choice of chicken or beef. A nice night out in The Little Apple
11:47 AM · Sep 26, 2021
Signal Museum (Easton, PA)
Speakeasy Town: Easton’s Days as “The Little Apple” During Prohibition
March 11, 2023, 1:00 pm
In the 1920s, Easton was known as an infamous after-hours speakeasy town, located halfway between New York City and Philadelphia. The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified in January 1919, prohibiting the manufacture, transport, and sale of “intoxicating liquors.” As a result, the amendment became colloquially known as “Prohibition”.
Alcohol was illegal? So what! You could find drinks, brothels, and gambling dens by the dozens if you knew where to look. Easton had an underworld reputation enabled by law enforcement and elected officials who, for the right price, were willing to look the other way – so much so that Easton earned its own nickname: The Little Apple.
Signal Museum (Easton, PA)—Online Collections
The Little Apple
In the 1920s, Easton was known as “The Little Apple,” an infamous after-hours speakeasy town just miles away from New York City. Illegal activities were often disregarded by local authorities, which made the area a hot spot for booze, brothels, and gambling. New Yorkers would make their way into town as prize fights let out of Madison Square Garden. Barkers were known to yell “Going to Easton, going to Easton!” to entice customers into evening train cars headed to Pennsylvania.
YouTube
Speakeasy Town: Easton’s Days as “The Little Apple” During Prohibition (1/4)
NCHGS
Mar 18, 2023
In the 1920s, Easton was known as an infamous after-hours speakeasy town, located halfway between New York City and Philadelphia. The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified in January 1919, prohibiting the manufacture, transport, and sale of “intoxicating liquors.” As a result, the amendment became colloquially known as “Prohibition”.
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Everything EASTON ·
Ray Grins ·
June 7, 2024 at 12:02 PM ·
In case you missed it - my wife and I opened an Escape Room right in Downtown Easton! Off Center Escape Rooms is right smack dab in the middle of everything- really easy to get to if you’re looking for something to do before or after eating at one of the great restaurants Downtown!
Our first game is called the Little Apple Speakeasy and is based on Easton’s incredible history during Prohibition. It used to be called the Little Apple bc people would come out here from Manhattan to party 😄 We’ve tried to infuse the game with little nods to Easton’s colorful past….
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Everything EASTON ·
Robert Ross ·
April 24. 2026 at 11:29 PM ·
Well since I recently did a sketch of downtown Easton (The Little Apple) I thought I’d do the Big Apple as well (New York New York).