BOTTLE
Dimensions30.7 x 7.4 cm (12 1/16 x 2 15/16 in.)
Object numberHF.95.21.2.2
DescriptionA clear glass bottle with a circular base supporting a cylindrical body and a neck which narrows towards the collar and lip. Bubbles are visible in the body of the bottle. A paper tag which reads "The Green Barn Bootleg Rum Bottle Ch'town Export Co Ltd", is tied to the neck of the bottle by a red ribbon. Narrative
It's possible that this rum label is a joke which references the open secret of PEI's long history of rum-running and bootlegging. Attempts to moderate liquor consumption and purchases began with 19th-century temperance movements. Liquor was associated with many of society's ills and as a high-drinking province, PEI's temperance campaigners had a moral crusade. In 1878, the Scott Act gave local governments the power to ban liquor but by 1901, prohibition was enacted provincially. There were loopholes that still allowed for the sale and distribution of liquor but a side product of temperance and prohibition movements was a growth in rum-running and bootlegging. The Island's prohibition legislation stayed on the books until 1948, when it was finally repealed. PEI was the last Canadian province to repeal prohibition.
Despite prohibition, liquor, legal or illegal, could be obtained and was a popular "incentive" used around election times. The tradition of home-made illegal liquor is still strong on PEI, even in the 21st century.
