January 16, 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of Prohibition in the US. America’s great social engineering experiment lasted 13 years, until 1933.
The centennial will be marked by special events, many taking places in taverns, breweries, wineries, and distilleries. People will be marking the occasion in local museums as well.
Dennis Township Old School House Museum curator Ray Rebmann has published a book; Prohibition in Cape May County, Wetter than the Atlantic. The book will be officially published Monday, August 19.
For anyone thinking Cape May County was a quiet backwater, removed from the wild and crazy…and illegal…antics of rum runners and bootleggers, think again! Before you do, read this book!
From the inlets and beaches of the county’s island resorts to the back bay creeks and thick woodlands of the county’s mainland, creative entrepreneurs and intrepid law breakers devised numerous creative ways to circumvent the alcohol ban.
“Prohibition Book” –Page 2
Booze concealed among fish catches. Underground stills. Midnight rendez-vous along desolate spots on Delaware Bay. Hair raising chases up and down the coast. Cape May County experienced it all and so will you when you read this book.
Based on painstaking gleaning of pages of newspaper articles culled from both local and large city publications, Prohibition in Cape May County marks the first time the Prohibition era in the county has been described in detail.
Published by the History Press (Arcadia Publishing), the book is available through Arcadia’s website at www.arcadiapublishing.com as well as through Amazon. It will also be available at local bookstores and other businesses.