Basement and Wine Cellar

In the 1920's, the 18th amendment to the Constitution prohibited the manufacture, transport and sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States. After the Stone House was built, Charles Deering locked his collection of fine liquors in a basement vault and disguised the door with dry-good shelving. During a 1945 hurricane, the cellar flooded, and the vault door rusted closed. It remained sealed for forty years. In 1985, state officials discovered that thousands of bottles of champagne, wine and spirits stored inside had been ruined by salt water, breakage and insects. Today, new shelving and wine tasting tables display some of the original bottles.