Historian Jay Robbins will give an illustrated talk covering the role of alcohol in our local communities and economies from about 1740 until 1800.

This is the period when we made the transition from colony to commonwealth and from royal edict to self-rule. Regardless of who was calling the shots, the needs to generate income from alcohol and to regulate the consequences of its consumption remained unchanged.

Robbins will speak in the Pownalborough Court House in Dresden on Sunday, July 15, at 2 p.m.

The first part of this talk will look closely at the Massachusetts Acts & Resolves to see how government tried to regulate alcohol and human behaviors.

Next, using the records of the Lincoln County Courts from 1761-1788, we’ll see what was really going on locally. The audience will then be taken on a tour of tavern culture before being besotted by a compendium of concoctions meant to please the palate of traveler and townie alike. This whole affair will conclude with a look at a few of the licensed taverns and retailers of the West Parish of Pownalborough, including that of the Court House.

People are encouraged to bring a picnic and spend the day at the historic site hiking the four newly built trails that traverse the more than 90- acre tract surrounding the courthouse, before going inside the building to hear Robbins’ lecture.

For more information, go to www.lincolncountyhistory.org.