I recently had the opportunity to examine the subject of temperance and prohibition from a New England perspective. While framing this within a national context for the Nashua Public Library, the lecture considered the centuries-long attempt to control and regulate the consumption of alcohol in a regional context. This took in stories of rumrunners landing Canadian whiskey on isolated beaches, moonshiners, bathtub gin, intriguing personalities, complicated New England politics, organized crime, outgunned lawmen, and the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. There is a growing interest in this period, and I was pleased to do the prohibition talk while discussing these matters from the New England perspective.
