Forget cranberries or cod. During Prohibition (1920-1933), rum was the cash crop on Cape Cod. Cape Cod historian Don Wilding will tell us how the country’s “Noble Experiment” turned into a profitable and potentially dangerous undertaking for the locals about a century ago. The story takes place under the cover of darkness, as farmers and fisherman headed off shore and took to the seas to “Rum Row.”  There, they met ships laden with the criminal, yet coveted, alcohol and brought the contraband back to the shore through the busy harbors and remote estuaries that are popular tourist destinations today. While local officials often turned a blind eye, there was always a chance of being caught with the illicit and intoxicating cargo.  Was rum running worth the risk?  You decide.

THIS LECTURE WILL BE HELD AT FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, 68 MAIN STREET, FALMOUTH