Mobsters and Mayhem: Explore the Consequences of Prohibition at the Jersey Shore. The Lower Makefield Historical Society welcomes historian Greg Caggiano for a revealing look at rum-running, corruption, and mob boss Vito Genovese’s role in turning the Jersey Shore into a crime hotspot.

LOWER MAKEFIELD, PA. – Even after the U.S. Congress bowed to the Temperance movement and passed the Volstead Act in 1919, outlawing the sale of alcohol and ushering in
the era of Prohibition, beer taps never ran dry and stills were anything but. With the liquor industry pushed underground, organized crime stepped up to keep cocktail glasses overflowing
– and brought a slew of unintended consequences, as well.

Historian Greg Caggiano will detail how mob-backed bootleggers and rum-runners kept alcohol flowing in “Mobsters and Mayhem: Prohibition on the Jersey Shore,” hosted by the Lower Makefield Historical Society on Sunday, February 15. This free event, open to the public, will be held at 1 p.m. at the Lower Makefield Township Community Center, 1550 Oxford Valley Road, in Yardley, Pa. The 90-minute presentation will include an intermission. This event has been rescheduled from January 25.

About the Lower Makefield Historical Society: The Lower Makefield Historical Society fosters an appreciation of the beauty and history of Lower Makefield Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. We foster an interest in and encourage the preservation of historic buildings, sites, and landscapes in Lower Makefield and the greater Bucks County areas. We promote, research, and publish information about local history and culture, and share our findings and collection of artifacts with the public. Learn more at lowermakefieldhistory.org.