John Henry "Doc" Hamilton (1891-1942) moved from Mississippi to Seattle around 1914 at the age of 23. He served in WWI in the 92nd infantry division in France and returned to Seattle after the war ended. When the Prohibition Act took effect in 1920, Hamilton opened his first speakeasy in his home on E. Union Street. Seattle police shut it down in 1924, and this was the first of numerous illegal clubs that he opened and had run-ins with local law enforcement. The Barbecue Pit was Hamilton’s most famous and elegant club whose patrons included Seattle businessmen, judges, and politicians including the mayor, Edwin J. Brown. This door was in the basement of the Barbecue Pit, also known as the 908 Club, which was located at 908 12th Avenue in Seattle. Hamilton kept his illegal business running because of the status of his patrons and payoffs to police officers. Despite these incentives, his club was raided often, and his protection ran out when King County Sheriff Harry Lewis sentenced Hamilton to five years in federal prison. He was pardoned in 1933 after only 10 months, but he never regained his former success as a club owner.