ALLAN,
I wrote a 4 part article on Newport for Gaming Times awhile back.
Maybe I will update it and send it to Neal.
As you know, there are too many stories and legends about Newport to ever cover all of them. I have many 1st hand stories in my head, but only think of them when something triggers them. I also have a very good Saturday Evening Post article about Newport. It says 150 casinos in a town with a population of 35,000 people.
Club member Jeff Lauderman wrote the best account of Newport, I have seen in awhile. I think I bought 10 copies to send to old timers in Newport. If anyone is interested in the History of Newport gambling, contact Jeff at
jldice@ix.netcom.com - I think the book is about $20.
Jeff was kind enough to mention me in the credits along with my very good friend for 38 years, Frank "Chin" Conforti. He is Frank "Screw" Andrews nephew.
One of the never answered questions about Newport has always been:
Did Screw Andrews really jump out of that hospital window?
I can safely say "He did not Junp".
Scan is a Lookout House chip circa 1938 owned by Jimmy Brink. The Little Club in the Lookout House was one of my favorite hangouts in the 60's and early 70's. (not a casino at this time.) The LH sat atop a hill in Lookout Heights about 4 miles uphill from the Ohio river. It had tunnels under it that ran all the way down to the river. They were used in the underground railroad during the civil war to help slaves escape the south. After the LH burned there was an after hours bar in the catacombs leading to the tunnels. It was an eerie place, candles and no electricty. The walls were not finished and were always seeping water. I was always afraid Dracula was waiting behind every bend.
Jimmy Brink's Lookout Stud Farm is still a beautiful sight along the Dixie Highway in Northern, KY.
I guess I rambled on again, but they are good memories for me.
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