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Prohibition officially ended on December 5, 1933, one day after Utah, Ohio and Pennsylvania voted to repeal the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, providing the two-thirds majority needed to repeal the national act that had banned the sale of alcohol. Within five years, the City of Quincy issued a Liquor License for the premises at 23 Des Moines Road, begining a continuous tradition of fine food and drink that is now in it's eigth decade.
Charlie Dann is on record as the first license holder, when in 1938 he opened Dann's Place. Charlie had a succesful twelve year run which included the busy Warld War II years when the nearby shipyard was operating around the clock producing vessels that helped our country win the war. Some old Quincy street directories still list the driveway at Cronin's as Dann Street, a tribute to the founder!
In 1950, the license shifted to the Bonnani sisters who changed the name to The Three Little Sisters. Neighbors and shipyard workers were delighted by the hospitality and good cheer of the sisters. Now, over 50 years later many regulars still remember them fondly. In 1952, Don Vernette took over the License and changed the name to The Pyramid Club. This may have been a reference to the Middle East culture that is still well established in Quincy Point. In 1963, Jimmy Mitchell took over and opened Jimmy's, an establishment that succesfully operated for 15 years. The Mitchell family still owns the property next door at 19 Des Moines Road.
In 1978 Charles M. "Charlie" Kane took over and changed the name to Kane's Place. The Kane family was in business here until 1990, succesfully weathering the closure of the shipyard and the loss of thousands of steady customers. Charlie's sons Ed and Joe used their experience from Kane's Place to start a number of successful restaurants throughout the South Shore.
After twelve productive years, Charlie Kane sold the business to his good friends Denis and Margaret Cronin, who on June 10, 1990 opened Cronin's Publick House, now in its 18th year! Six owners in 69 years and the rest is history!
History researched by Quincy City Clerk Joe Shea
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