How do you get into Thompson’s Bookstore Speakeasy?
We have not confirmed it. Thompson’s Bookstore Speakeasy is in the directory because it calls itself a speakeasy, and that is the whole of what we can stand behind about its door.
The drinks at Thompson’s Bookstore Speakeasy
How the venue describes itself: “Step into a world of literary charm and sophistication at Thompson’s Bookstore Speakeasy and Cigar Lounge. Indulge in premium cigars, craft cocktails, and a hidden gem of a bygone era. Discover the perfect blend of classic literature, classic drinks, and classic ambiance in Downtown Fort Worth’s Hell’s Half Acre.” (from its own website, retrieved 9 October 2026)
Beyond what the venue publishes we have not verified a list, so what follows is the period rather than the bar: Corpse Reviver No. 2, Twentieth Century, and White Lady are all drinks of this era, and each links to its origin and its build.
The building
Documented — Thompson’s Bookstore Speakeasy occupies the W. T. Waggoner Building, a property listed on the National Register of Historic Places under reference number 79003012. The listing is a federal record maintained by the National Park Service, and the nomination document is the primary source for the building’s architectural and social history.
National Register reference 79003012 · NPS nomination document
Where Thompson’s Bookstore Speakeasy sits
Thompson’s Bookstore Speakeasy is in Fort Worth, Texas, in Tarrant County, in the Southwest of the United States. The city sits inside the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area.
Our directory currently lists eight speakeasies and hidden bars in Fort Worth. The full list is on our guide to hidden bars in Fort Worth.
Measured from the map pins, the closest of those to Thompson’s Bookstore Speakeasy are Curfew, about 300 m away, The Amber Room, about 1.3 km away, and Bathtub Gin’s Jam Lounge, about 2.3 km away.
Texas holds 110 listed venues in this directory. See them all on our Texas speakeasy guide.
Prohibition in Texas
Texas did not wait for the federal government. Statewide prohibition took effect here in 1918, two years before the Eighteenth Amendment came into force nationally on 17 January 1920. By the time the Volstead Act was being enforced across the country, Texas already had an established illegal trade and the habits that went with it.
More on the period in our history of Prohibition in Texas.
What the newspapers recorded in Texas
Searching the Library of Congress run of Texas newspapers for speakeasy, blind pig and bootlegger across 1920 to 1933 returns dated pages anyone can open. These are from Texas:
- El Paso herald, May 27, 1920 — read the page at the Library of Congress
- Brownsville herald, July 2, 1922 — read the page at the Library of Congress
- The Snyder signal, June 11, 1920 — read the page at the Library of Congress
- Laredo weekly times, August 15, 1920 — read the page at the Library of Congress
Planning a visit
You can reach Thompson’s Bookstore Speakeasy by phone on (817) 882-8003, through its own website, and on Facebook and Instagram.
The address is 900 Houston St, Fort Worth, TX 76102. Open in Google Maps.
What we have confirmed
For Thompson’s Bookstore Speakeasy we hold street address, telephone number, official website, social accounts, and a listed-building record. We do not yet hold opening hours, a published drinks list, or an online booking link.
It is in the directory because its own name calls it a speakeasy and the description in the source data describes it as a speakeasy.
Overture Maps carries this venue; OpenStreetMap has no matching record.
The source data classifies the premises as a bar.