OSWEGO – John Lamphere leads presentation of “Rum Runners, Bootleggers, and Speakeasies in Western Oswego and Northern Cayuga Counties” at the next ‘History on Tap’ meeting. The PowerPoint program begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 1 in the Riverview Room at G.S. Steamer’s Restaurant in Oswego. Admission is free.

The fascinating and well-researched program will focus on the specific area from Fairhaven to SUNY Oswego. It features a lot of photographs and accounts of interviews with family members from Sterling who operated on Lake Ontario during the Prohibition Era.

An energetic speaker who keeps audiences engaged, Lamphere will also present information he obtained while conducting primary research on U.S. Coast Guard activities, and accounts of bootlegging and speakeasy operations he learned about while serving as a Chief Deputy of the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office for nearly three decades.

John Lamphere taught Criminal Justice and American History at Cayuga Community College for 31 years – first serving as an adjunct, then as vice-president and full professor. He was recently awarded professor emeritus status after receiving the SUNY Chancellors Award. He presents lectures on a variety of history topics and conducts guided bus tours to the Gettysburg National Battlefield. Lamphere studied at Cayuga County Community College and SUNY Oswego, followed by graduate studies from Marist College, SUNY Oswego, American Public University and American Military University. 

G.S. Steamer’s Restaurant is located at the Clarion Inn at 70 E. First St, Oswego. For more information about the ‘History on Tap’ program, contact Paul Lear at 315-343-4711 or paul.lear@parks.ny.gov. Updates and program information will be posted on the Friends of Fort Ontario Facebook page.
LAMPHERE TALKS PROHIBITION – Professor Emeritus John Lamphere presents “Rum Runners, Bootleggers and Speakeasies in Western Oswego and Northern Cayuga Counties” during the next ‘History on Tap’ program. The free presentation begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 1 in the Riverview Room at G.S. Steamer’s Restaurant in Oswego.