Molasses is described as a sweet, syrupy byproduct made during the extraction of sugars from sugarcane. Molasses has a rich history in the Caribbean where sugarcane is cultivated, and was a popular sweetener throughout the United States in the early 20th

Molasses is described as a sweet, syrupy byproduct made during the extraction of sugars from sugarcane. Molasses has a rich history in the Caribbean where sugarcane is cultivated, and was a popular sweetener throughout the United States in the early 20th century. Massachusetts has an integral connection to molasses as it was part of the Triangle Trade, the 18th century world economy: Rum from New England was traded in Africa for slaves, which were brought to the West Indies and the Caribbean where they cultivated sugar cane. The sugar cane was later refined into molasses, which was shipped to New England and often used in the distillation of rum. In his lecture on “Molasses,” Anthony Sammarco will explore the Isaac Royall Family of Medford and the Lawrence Rum Distillery on Ship Avenue (now Riverside Avenue) and trace the history of molasses from the 18th century through the teetotalism and abolitionist causes of the 19th century to the Great Molasses Flood of 1919, which became an integral part of the North End of Boston’s history.