100 Years Since U.S. Prohibition; OCNJ Tells A Different Story

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Friday marks the 100th anniversary of when the United States began enforcing alcohol prohibition. Drinkers can raise a glass to the end of that era. But in Ocean City, they must raise it in private.

Ocean City's history of alcohol restrictions began before national prohibition, and they continue today. The City still bans alcohol sales and public drinking.

That history includes religious roots, a series of speakeasies and a 2017 USA Today article calling Ocean City the "drunkest" city the New Jersey.

Locals and visitors remain mostly supportive of the family-friendly city's laws. In May 2012, 68.8 percent of voters rejected a "BYOB" ballot initiative.

Nonetheless, the discussion on alcohol in Ocean City has persisted for more than a century.

The History

Four Methodist ministers purchased Peak's Beach in 1879 to create a Christian seaside resort and camp meeting place. The men came together under a cedar tree, which still stands at 6th Street and Asbury Avenue, and formed the Ocean City Association.

The Ocean City Association wanted to present an image of clean and sober living, according to the Ocean City Sentinel. So they passed a set of blue laws in 1881, designed to enforce religious standards. But the city didn't ban the manufacturing or sale of alcohol until 1909.

The Women's Christian Temperance Union donated a public fountain on Memorial Day in 1915 to promote drinking water instead of alcohol.

Meanwhile, a national movement gained momentum to prohibit alcohol. Beginning in the 19th century, prohibitionists focused their movement on issues such as alcoholism, family violence and saloon-based corruption.

The United States instituted a constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920-1933 — the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Private ownership and consumption weren't illegal under federal law, but many municipalities outright banned possession.

Like many cities throughout the Roaring 20s, Ocean City had issues with Eighteenth Amendment violations. Reputed Philadelphia bootlegger Max "Boo Boo" Hoff bought acres of marsh between Ocean City and Upper Township for running liquor operations, according to The Press of Atlantic City.

Prosecutors raided 27 illegal taverns where alcohol was sold or consumed in 1929. And Ocean City's beach and bay were regular location for rumrunners — people or ships bringing prohibited liquor ashore. They had to stay a step ahead of the U.S. Coast Guard, which enforced prohibition in the seas.

A New Era

Ocean City's story of alcohol restriction doesn't end in 1933, when the Twenty-first Amendment repealed nationwide prohibition.

In 1951, Ocean City prohibited the delivery of wholesale merchandise on Sundays and forbid the consumption of alcohol on beaches. Seven years later, the city passed a pan on drinking alcohol in public places.

Several issues in the 1980s brought the discussion of alcohol in Ocean City to the forefront. In 1984, the City passed an ordinance banning BYOB restaurants, where patrons could bring their own wine and beer, according to nj.com.

And during a campaign for a 1986 referendum to repeal Ocean City's blue laws, ads in the Sentinel-Ledger feared that a repeal on alcohol restrictions would come next, according to the Sentinel.

The Ocean City Merchant's Association responded a week before the referendum on blue laws. The association told voters not to let "false advertising" mislead them into thinking a repeal of blue laws would create "bars on the Boardwalk."

Ocean City voted to reject the blue laws Nov. 4, 1986, by a decision of 3,936 to 3,345.

The Merchant's Association was ultimately right. Voters in 2012 largely rejected a repeal of the 1984 law banning BYOB restaurants.

Modern Views

Patch asked readers how they felt about Ocean City's longtime laws prohibiting alcohol sales and public drinking. Many readers expressed support for the restrictions.

"That’s what keeps us visiting," said one reader. "We love that it’s a dry town. We have taken our kids for years and now that we have grandkids we will continue to visit."

"People drink there but it hasn't seemed to make it a bad place to go, at least not yet," said another reader. "Please keep it the nice family town it has been."

Just as people know the ocean is wet, the public is aware of drinking in Ocean City. Several liquor stores are strategically placed just outside town. Ocean City police even increased patrols last summer to spot drinking on the beach. Read more: Ocean City PD Keeping Extra Eyes On Beach Boozing

A state-law loophole also allows restaurants and businesses to let members drink alcohol to their private dinner clubs. The establishments must have proper licensing and can only let members drink.

Several readers commented that they're not in favor of the loophole.

"You need to be either a private club or a restaurant," a reader said. "They are trying to have it both ways."

Some people responded that some changes, such as allowing restaurants to serve alcohol, would help Ocean City.

"BYOB is a an easy but so-so remedy, since it provides no additional profit margin for the owner, the margin that seems to allow for better food," a reader said. "Better still would be some program that allows restaurants to serve a drink or two to any customer who orders a meal, thus no bars or liquor stores or late-night drunks."

Click here to get Patch email notifications on this or other local news articles or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app. Download here. Follow Ocean City Patch on Facebook. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com.