Off the beaten path is another historic Asheville landmark—a semi-underground landmark. It is Rat Alley, and it is usually included in any discussion or speculation about subterranean Asheville—the rumored tunnel system that conspirator buffs allege was used for illegal smuggling of liquor during the prohibition years as well as for drug deals, prostitution, and other sordid happenings
Rat Alley is located under Wall Street and runs behind some of the shops and restaurants on Patton Avenue. Some have suggested that it served as a connector or transfer point between various businesses and the more extensive subterranean tunnel systems that is said to crisscross the city. For example, one branch of the tunnel system led to the brothel below the Langren Hotel (Circa 1912) before it was demolished in 1964. The Pack’s Tavern spur served as the supply conduit for illegal liquor and moonshine. Longtime Asheville residents say that an extensive tunnel also ran down Charlotte Street,. Its exit now covered over by the Martin Luther King ballpark. There are numerous reports of sinkhole openings that exposed other segments of tunnel works below the streets and buildings of the city.
Whatever glorious or notorious role Rat Alley once played, it has since fallen on hard times. Author Marla Hardee Milling writes of the time she stole her way into the tunnel-like covered alleyway.
“I wasn’t quite sure how to access it, but as we walked into a parking lot past Jack of the Wood, I spotted the chain-link fence covering the entrance to Rat Alley. The doorway, propped open by an orange traffic cone, seemed to beckon us inside. We inched into the darkness, glancing over our shoulders and giggling at our willingness to venture into an area we were not sure if we should enter: Dim overhead lighting cast and eerie shadow over the chaotic assembly of trashcans, mops and empty beer kegs.
…While I wish I could say it was more exotic in nature, Rat Alley is primarily a dingy storage area. While it does run underneath Wall Street, it’s really not an underground tunnel. It is as its name reveals: an alley.”
The Jack of the Wood restaurant mentioned by Author Milling is an Irish public house offering handcrafted ales, local sourced pub food and live music. The restaurant is located at 95 Patton Ave and the parking lot she refers to is just West of the Jack of the Wood building.
While Rat Alley may not warrant being on your “must-see” for an Asheville visit, it was an important feature in Asheville’s history. That makes it something you need to know about to be considered Asheville Smart.