Welcome to Ocean City: dry island, and proud of it Founded in the late 19th century by Methodists who wanted to turn it into a Christian resort, Ocean City is what is known as a "dry town."\\nAlcohol production and sales have been outlawed there since 1909, a decade before Prohibition was ushered in nationwide on January 17, 1920. A century later, very little has changed. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES