A whiskey bottle tucked away on a shelf in the Gueydan Museum is more than an antique curiosity – it is the key to a fascinating story of rum-running in a prohibition era Louisiana small town. The century-old bottle of Golden Wedding rye whiskey, still sealed with a dark third of its contents inside, was apparently rescued by some resourceful residents from a bootleg shipment of booze.
museum located in historic home
The old whiskey bottle and other town artifacts are on display in a historic home shaded by a sprawling live oak tree. The museum includes a mix of old photographs, clothing, carved duck decoys and musical instruments that are part of this Cajun town’s history.
Museum president Jeri Chapman says these objects ground the community in its past. “In order to function properly,” she explains, “you have to be in touch with your roots, so you can see where you’re going from.”
The museum typically resides in the town’s century-old brick bank, now under repair. For now, the W.L. Doss home, built in 1909, safeguards the town’s memories — including its wilder episodes.
Prohibition – rum runners & a sinking ship
During Prohibition, Gueydan’s quiet location made it a strategic hub for smugglers moving liquor from the Gulf of Mexico to northern markets. Chapman notes that the town’s geography offered a direct route to the coast: “If you go south as the crow flies, it’s not too far to the gulf.”
One infamous operation involved the schooner I’m Alone, captained by Jack Randall, who waited roughly 20 miles offshore for connections from Gueydan to take his bottled cargo inland. But federal agents and the Coast Guard were watching. “They followed him,” Chapman says, “and there was a battle and the ship was sunk with the whole cargo on it.”
the great gueydan train raid
Railroads played a role, too. In a 1930 raid, federal inspectors opened a boxcar supposedly filled with bags of rice — only to discover whiskey bottles sewn into the sacks. “The bottles had been sewed into different sacks to transport the booty up there,” Chapman says.
Before authorities could smash the contraband, locals scrambled to rescue what they could. “It was wild,” Chapman recalls with a laugh. “Some of them stole bottles.”
a whiskey bottle survives
One of those bottles resurfaced decades later when a homeowner passed away. Donated to the museum, the Golden Wedding rye whiskey remains sealed. “That’s what we have left,” Chapman says, “and we treasure it.”
Today, the whiskey bottle, along with the old photographs, fiddles, and antique furnishings, tell the stories of the families who helped make Gueydan what it is today.
the bootleg whiskey bottle featured on tv
getting there
The W.L. Doss home is located at 615 Fourth Street in Gueydan. The museum is here temporarily while the museum’s permanent home in a 1902 bank building at 212 Main Street is undergoing extensive renovations. The museum’s website lists its hours of operation at Wednesday-Friday 1-5pm, and Saturday from 11am-4pm. For more information, call (337) 536-0443. Click here for the Gueydan Museum website. For the latest information on the Gueydan Museum, click here for the museum’s Facebook page
615 4th St, Gueydan, LA 70542
212 Main St, Gueydan, LA 70542
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