The Ticonderoga Historical Society will present a free public program on Friday, September 11 at 6 p.m. at the Hancock House, 6 Moses Circle, Ticonderoga. “Our Best Endeavors: Temperance and Prohibition in the Champlain Valley” will be presented by Susan Evans McClure, Executive Director of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.
“When you think about Prohibition, most people imagine 1920s gangsters and bootleggers with tommy guns and fancy cars,” says McClure. “But to truly understand federal Prohibition in the Champlain Valley, you have to start earlier than the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1919. Vermont actually had statewide prohibition from 1853-1904.”
The program will open the museum’s newest exhibit on Prohibition and examine how the Champlain Valley went from being a major producer and consumer of alcohol in the early 1800s to a hotbed of temperance sentiment by the mid-19th century.
The program is free to the public, will be held outdoors and is cancelled in the event of rain. Program attendance will be limited to 35 and reservations are required. Social distancing guidelines will be enforced and masks are required. Attendees should bring their own lawn chairs.
Reservations may be made by calling the Hancock House at 518-585-7868 or via e-mail to: tihistory@bridgepoint1.com.
Leave a Reply