Looking Back
As I looked back, I found information on the first known tavern in Hicksville in the Queens County Court documents of May 14, 1863. Samuel Hendrickson and Thomas Seaman separately applied for the sale of “strong and spirituous liquors and wines." This was required in accordance with the Act for Suppression of Intemperance and to regulate the sale of Intoxicating Liquors, of 1857. I found Samuel as an early proprietor of the Grand Central Hotel.
Around the time the Civil War was intensifying, in Hicksville, the consumption of alcohol was primarily done in its hotels. As the railroad brought travelers east, they would need to rest at the end of the line, Hicksville, before proceeding further east on the island by horseback or carriage. Perhaps the most famous hotel of the early 1900s was the Grand Central Hotel. This was the hub of social life for many. Stories were passed on that this was the place for those with money. The Germania Hotel was also located on the corner of Broadway and West Marie Street. One of the earliest standalone
Keller's Cafe places that sold beer and spirits was Keller’s Café, located on Woodbury Road. The cafe was a wood frame clapboard building with a gable roof, chimney, and porch; the cafe was attached to a two-story building, possibly a home.
Staehle’s Brewery & Hotel, located on Broadway and Cherry Street, was the first brewery that also housed visitors. It was owned and operated by Eugene Henrich Staehle. The hotel entrance was on Broadway, and the brewery entrance was on Cherry Street. Eugene Staehle was born in 1865 and immigrated from Stuttgart, Germany, in 1881 at the age of 16 and first settled in Troy, New York. While in Troy, he worked on furthering his master craft of brewing beer. In 1902, he moved to Hicksville and opened a brewery and hotel. In November of 1916, he suffered a heart attack and passed away at the age of 51, leaving his widow and several children. By 1918, an auction was held, and the contents of Staehle’s Brewery were sold, with the building selling in 1925.
 Staehle’s Brewery & Hotel |
 Staehle’s Brewery & Hotel |
 Staehle’s Brewery & Hotel |
