A Long Island History of Alcohol

Long Island has a long and complicated history with alcohol stretching back to the first Dutch settlers. From early distilleries and breweries on the western end of the Island to the emergence of temeperance societies in Sag Harbor, alcohol has played a continuing role in the life of the people.

The culmination came in 1920 when Prohibition went into effect. For the next thirteen years, the manufacture, sale and distribution of intoxicating liquours was probibited. Until Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Long Island was in for a wild time as rum runners vied with the coast guard, police raided speakeasies, and every person had to decide for themselves how they would handle the challenges and opportunities that arose.

Our guest is Johathan Olly, curator and public historian at the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook. This episode is also a co-production with the podcast Bar Crawl Radio and was recorded on location at 22 West Main St. in Patchouge at the soon-to-be rebranded Hoptron bar.

You can listen to the podcast here.

The Long Island History Project is a podcast featuring stories and interviews with people passionate about Long Island history. It is co-hosted by academic librarian Chris Kretz and local historian and preservationist Connie Currie.

You are seeing this podcast announcement courtesy of The New York History Blog. For a full list of this week’s podcasts click HERE.  And while you’re here – we rely on small contributions from readers like you to publish news and information about history in New York York State.  Make a contribution now at our fundraising page at https://rally.org/f/4LBVKo9zYjO or send a check to: New York History Blog, 7269 State Route 9, Chestertown, NY 12817.