MONTAUK HISTORICAL SOCIETY OPENS RUMRUNNING EXHIBITION WITH SUPPORT OF R. D. L. GARDINER FOUNDATION MONTAUK, NY, June 28, 2025 — The Montauk Historical Society proudly announces the opening of HOW DRY WE WEREN’T: RUMRUNNING & MOONSHINE IN MONTAUK, an immersive, interactive exhibition that tells stories about local people and how they coped — and even thrived — during Prohibition. “I’ve been hearing stories about Montauk rumrunning just about all my life,” said Mia Certic, executive director of the historical society. “But I had no idea of how pervasive it was, and how flagrantly the laws of the land were flouted here in those days. It’s been a real eye-opener.” (Coincidentally, “eye-opener” is the way people back then often referred to their first drink of the day.) Research to underpin the exhibition began last year, under the direction of MHS Historian Ariana Garcia-Cassani. “This has been a fascinating project. There’s plenty of material available, but of course a lot of it is hearsay and may contain some very tall tales, so it was important to separate fact from fantasy,” she said. “I’m so grateful to East Hampton Historian Hugh King, as well as Aimee Lusty and Andrea Meyer of the Montauk and East Hampton libraries, for all their help. And our former historian, Henry Osmers, had a pretty impressive binder on the subject.” -more HOW DRY WE WEREN’T 2. June 28, 2025 The exhibition includes a “speakeasy,” showing black & white footage from the 1920s and 30s; a gift shop with themed merchandise, from flasks to costume jewelry to onesies for babies; a dress-up room for young children; and a main exhibition area with interactive features including animated oral histories of real Montauk rumrunners, a 1920s telephone and an FBI “wire-tapping” desk (sponsored by Gurney’s Resorts). The cornerstone of the exhibition is a 23’-long map that extends from East Hampton to Montauk Point. “Little doors are dotted along the map’s surface, and visitors can open them to get a peek into aspects of life in Montauk during Prohibition,” said Certic. “The wall was probably the single most ambitious feature of the exhibition. Getting it designed, constructed and completed was like producing a movie: so many people worked together to bring it into being, not just the artists and artisans, but Oysterponds Historical Society, Southold Historical Museum, and East Hampton Historical Society, which loaned us objects from their collections.” The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation awarded MHS a generous grant for HOW DRY WE WEREN’T. “Our Foundation exists to support historic preservation, primarily on Long Island,” explained its Executive Director, Kathryn Curran. “We always appreciate it when exhibitions are not only grounded in serious research, but are also entertaining, accessible, and fun.” HOW DRY WE WEREN’T is open Thursday to Monday through Labor Day, from 11 am to 3 pm, with bookable private tours at 10:30 am. For more information, please go to montaukhistoricalsociety.org/events.