Ebook: Galveston's Maceo Family Empire: Bootlegging and the Balinese Room

At the dawn of the
twentieth century, Galveston was a beacon of opportunity on the Texas Gulf
Coast. Dubbed the “Wall Street of the Southwest,” its laissez-faire reputation
called those hungry for success to its shores. Led by brothers Salvatore and
Rosario at the height of Prohibition, the Maceo family answered that call and
changed the Oleander City forever. They built an island empire of gambling,
smuggling and prostitution that lasted three decades. Housed in their
nightclubs frequented by stars like Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra and Duke
Ellington, they endeared themselves to their Galveston neighbors by sharing
their profits, imitating crime syndicates in their native Sicily. Though
certainly no saints, the Maceos helped bring prosperity to a community weary from
a century of turmoil. Discover the history of Galveston’s famous crime family
with authors Nicole Boatman, Dr. Scott Belshaw and Texas historian Richard
McCaslin.