SYLVANIA, LUCAS COUNTY, OHIO;

STORK’S NEST / COW PALACE / CARMELS / VENTURAS The Stork’s Nest was at 7742 W. Bancroft Street, and was named by the man that started the business, Fred G. Stork. The only problem is in determining the exact date that Mr. Stork started this business. According to the Find-A-Grave website Fred G. Stork was born on 3-31-1889 and died 7-15-1956. He was buried in the Ottawa Hills Memorial Park Cemetery in Ottawa Hills, Lucas County, Ohio. On 6-5-1917 Fred G. Stork completed his registration card to register at the start of World War I and at that time was living at 1601 Macomber, Toledo, Ohio. He listed his date of birth as 3-31-1889 and said that he was born in Defiance, Ohio. He listed his occupation as a bartender, working for H. Betz in Toledo, Ohio. He was single and listed as medium height, with a medium build. His eyes were brown and his hair was brown. During World War I Fred Stork was enlisted on 9-18-1917 at the age of 28 into the National Army – Co. C 329 Infantry. On 12-10-1917 he then entered Company 11 – First Regiment AS Mechanic, and discharged as a Corporal on 1-1-1918. He then served in St. Mihiel; Meuse-Argonne; Defensive Sector. American Expeditionary Forces from 2-19-1918 to 6-25-1918. He was honorably discharged on 7-12-1919. Legend says that the Stork’s Nest opened for business in 1919, but records show that Mr. Stork did not even purchase the property until 1926. Prohibition, or the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, was approved by the U.S. Congress in December of 1917. This amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale, transportation, import, and export of “intoxicating liquors.” It was ratified by the states in January of 1919, and officially went into effect in January of 1920. In the meantime, in October of 1919 Congress adopted the Volstead Act for the enforcement of the new 18th Amendment. To give a little history so that you are familiar with what was going on at this time, speakeasies, or illegal drinking and gambling establishments, were secretly opening, under the cover of some type of legal business or in a structure in some out of the way part of the community (which the Stork’s Nest certainly was). Bootlegged alcohol became a highly profitable trade during the prohibition days, and because of this bootleggers battled each other for control of the liquor sales. According to legend, after prohibition went into effect, the Stork’s Nest became one of those speakeasies. Between 1920 and 1930 there were four major bootleggers supplying Lucas County speakeasies with the illegal beverages and gambling devices, and they all shared in the very profitable business. But, in 1930 a very powerful gangster entered the Toledo bootlegging scene named Thomas “Yonnie” Licavoli. He had been the boss of the Licavoli Gang, (or later called the River Gang) in Detroit, Michigan. They controlled the movement of liquor over the Detroit River from Canada to Detroit. Licavoli was just being released from a Canadian prison, after an almost three year imprisonment for having loaded handguns in his possession. At this same time his brother Peter Joseph Licavoli was the prime suspect in a murder that occurred in Detroit, but police didn’t have the evidence needed to convict him, so they strongly suggested that he leave Detroit. Detroit police and officials were also strongly recommending that Yonnie not return to Detroit after he was released from prison. So, as soon as Yonnie was released, they headed to Toledo to start fresh and continue their illegal and dangerous business. The Licavolis were well-known for their brutal tactics in dealing with their competition, and while in Detroit they rose through the ranks of the criminal-world, becoming one of the powerful group of gangsters in that city. When the Licavoli gang arrived in Toledo they scoped the town out for a short time and soon started offering the current four suppliers a deal that they couldn’t refuse; that’s when things got dangerous. Most learned quickly to join them or lose everything, but one bootlegger would not accept the deal, and that was Jack Kennedy, and he gave stiff resistance up until the day they brutally killed him. The story is told that Licavoli and his gang were supplying the booze and gambling machines to Mr. Stork, at the Stork’s Nest here on Bancroft Street. If that is the case then that would have been after 1930, because Licavoli wasn’t even in Toledo until after 1930. Also, according to legend, Jack Kennedy and his gang tried to take over the liquor business at the Stork’s Nest by forcing Mr. Stork to do business with them. They arrived at the Stork’s Nest and forced the Stork family, and his employees, against a wall at gunpoint. Legend has it that this scared Mr. Stork out of business, and he sold the Stork’s Nest and opened up a retail store on the northwest corner of Heysler and Bancroft instead. Licavoli had a lot of power, and speakeasy operators of Lucas County quickly learned that if you did not do as Licavoli requested, you would be killed. Chalky Red Yaranowski was another bootlegger from this area, who hooked up with Licavoli very early. According to Kenneth R. Dickson’s “. . . Nothing Personal Just Business. . .” (2003) “Uninvited to the neighborhoods and speakeasies of Toledo, the Licavolis were the Sicilians who told Al Capone to stay out of Detroit . . . and made it stick. In a span of less than three years fourteen murders were laid to the attempted Licavoli takeover of the Toledo rackets. Chalky Red, one of Toledo’s own bootleggers, was asked what he would do if Licavoli wanted his business? Chalky Red said “he would hand him the keys to the front door and walk away.”