Potatoes or other starch-rich foods can be fermented to produce alcohol. [1] Its county seat is Rocky Mount. Fast forward to the 1700s, when the English, Germans, and Scots-Irish began immigrating to America and settling into western Virginias backcountry, where they would bring their own traditions for making homemade spirits, using fruits to make brandy and grains to produce whiskey. According to members of the Bondurant family, the Bondurant Boys Forrest, Howard, and Jack - bucked the idea of paying additional protection money and were thus involved in a 1930 shoot-out with police at Maggodee Creek Bridge. However, the growth of moonshining in Franklin County was astounding. Indeed, the new law led to health concerns. In 1926, bootleg liquor sales reached an estimated $3.6 billion, approximately the size of the federal budget. Its been suggested that binge drinking got its start during prohibition, plus additives like creosote and embalming fluid were known to have been mixed into some batches to add color and potency. In Virginias mountains, a few bootleggers were quite wealthy, earning tens of thousands of dollars in cash while the Great Depression was in full swing. And Stanley knows a lot about the history of the moonshine in Franklin County, from the good and not-so-good. The farmers of Western Pennsylvania rebelled in 1794 against a Federal tax on whiskey, imposed by Congress at Alexander Hamilton's suggestion. Virginia at the time of these brothers would come to be known as the wettest county in the world. In a 2012 Newsweek article, the younger Bondurant describes his Grandpa Jack as an imposing man while recalling taking stock of a pair of brass knuckles hanging on the wall in his grandfathers storage room. If you're having decent Franklin County moonshine, it should be made mostly from corn and it shouldn't have a whole lot of additives to it. sifted through 100 boxes containing the personal papers of the Judge John Here's a look at the heyday, the doomsday and the make-believe day of moonshine in its "capital" of Franklin County, Va., and beyond. Have new blog posts delivered directly to your e-mail inbox. If you're looking to explore an area of Southwest Virginia that is immersed in beauty, history, and moonshine, Franklin County has to be on your list. Rather than produce high-proof liquor and then dilute it with water, he mixed the lower=alcohol whiskey that was first to condense with the higher-alcohol last part of the run to get the 90-proof product he desired. in almost every region of the Commonwealth making legal moonshine, allowing you to get an authentic taste of Virginias moonshine history during your visit! Here is the story of the Duling brothers and the Moonshine Mafia. Franklin County Distilleries | 25156 Highway 220, Franklin County, VA 24065 | 540.334.1610 | info@fcdmoonshine.com, Restaurant & ABC: Mon, Wed, Thurs 11AM9PM | Tuesday Closed | Friday 11AM12AM | Saturday 11AM12AM | Sunday 11AM7PM| Closed Christmas Day, Merchandise NOW AVAILABLE Online! He even A lifelong Virginia resident, Beth loves exploring different parts of the world and currently resides in Alexandria. Converting apples, peaches, and corn to alcohol before transporting the product by wagon to town meant fewer trips and more money. In 2015, Franklin County Distilleries became the first legally licensed distillery in Franklin County since Prohibition. Scott began his driving career as a taxi driver, but would also use his skills as a fearless driver and a knowledgeable mechanic to haul illegal whiskey, which would help him become the first and only black driver to win a major-league NASCAR race. upon it yet.". That was November 1, 1916. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. And, in fact, theres a country right here in the Old Dominion that lays claim to being the Moonshine Capital of the World. After a trial, 22 defendants were because court files and the official trial transcript inexplicably disappeared , where you can sample moonshine, fruit brandies, and White Whiskey, the distillerys pure, unaged corn liquors available in 90- and 100-proof. Eventually, 34 people would be indicted in the case, including 19 bootleggers, one corporation, and nine government employees, but when the trial finally drew to a close, the resulting convictions and punishments were surprisingly light for the crimes; jail sentences were two years or less, fines were shockingly low, and thirteen of the 34 would only receive probation. in his research to reach any conclusions. Franklin County, Virginia is known as the Moonshine Capital of the . prisoner one week before the federal grand jury returned its conspiracy We've got Law-theme t-shirts and hats ($18 each). for their ruthlessness and passion for moonshining in Franklin County Virginia. . claimed 90 people out of 100 are making or have some connection with illicit Its owner-operator was sentenced to five years and 10 months jail time. Local moonshining legends kept the attention of readers, who loved tales of individuals like Mrs. Willie Carter Sharpe, who was known as the queen of Roanoke rum runners.. Cuisine: American, Bar Food. Explore Rocky Mount, and consider traveling The Crooked Road: Virginias Heritage Music Trail to appreciate more of the culture of the area. Franklin County went from 77 legal distilleries in 1893-1894 to 16 in 1906 to one in 1911 and none in 1917. DUNCAN ADAMS,The Roanoke Times. Musicians within the region write songs about homemade hooch, stills have been repurposed into art exhibits, and youll find merchandise emblazoned with moonshine logos in stores throughout Virginias Mountain region. When the working man spends eight hours at work and none in the saloon, he will save up more money and better his economic status . Across the nation, farmers did not share in the economic prosperity of the early 1920s. He evidently went prison for a short period of time. 3. Casey L. Higgins is a writer, editor, content consultant, and social media strategist working in the realms of travel and small business. Deep in the woods of Franklin County, police would raid moonshine rings or locations by destroying the subs where moonshine was made with axes, or some law enforcement would seize the moonshine and cast it away. In 1620, just 13 years after the Jamestown settlement was established, Virginia colonists were using corn to distill spirits along the James River. ("200 proof" is 100% alcohol.). *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. White lightning became the county's top cash crop, rolling down mountain roads each night in bootlegger caravans. Using the tax rate instituted in 1920, moonshiners in Franklin County would have generated $5.5 million in taxes between 1930-1935 if they had legally sold their products. Laws father Amos had moonshine rings that produced 500,000 gallons. During Prohibitionfrom 1920 to 1933 nationwide, but starting in 1916 in Virginiawhen sale of all liquor was illegal, bootleggers flourished. A Virginia distillery located in the Moonshine Capital of the World. James Forrest Bondurant (21 November 1901-4 December 1965) was an American Prohibition -era gangster and one of the three Bondurant brothers of Franklin County, Virginia. . During the period of the movie shotgun shells were made of thick paper with a metal bottom for the primer. Virginia State Police has identified the pilot who was killed in a plane crash in Carroll County. During Prohibition, prices ranged from $6 to $12 to as much as $25 per gallon. Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge101 Shenandoah Avenue NE Roanoke, VA 24016 (540) 342-6025 (800) 635-5535, George Washington & Jefferson National Forests, Franklin County Distilleries Heritage Spirits >, BRO-TV: Sons of the Moonshine Capital of the World. [3] In fact, many of the Government's witnesses likely had ulterior motives in testifying for the prosecution because they had been previously convicted by the efforts of some of the defendants. My buddy was on the ground. Law said those types of interactions with the law continued throughout the early parts of his moonshine career in the 1970s. Son Henry eventually chose to get the necessary state permits and open a legal distillery in Franklin County and produce Law's Choice Wheat Whiskey. Some government officials in Franklin County accepted bribes to look the other way and protect bootleggers from other lawmen and moonshine distillers; even the Sheriff of Franklin was in on the racket, overseeing a complex bribery system for the biggest moonshine producers in the region. 3,156 were here. ($$) 4.6 Stars - 13 Votes. The Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935 resulted in little real effect on illegal liquor production in Franklin County, Virginia. But likker makin' still goes on. Would you happen to know of any resources I can use to research family history? Want to know more about Virginias lesser-known history? Whiskey sold for $1.75 - $2.50 a gallon. These rogue distillers would operate as illegal moonshiners, competing with the 77 legal distilleries that would open in Franklin County by 1894. FCD crafts todays liquor from family recipes handed down over generations. A "white liquor" distiller in Wilkesboro was arrested in October 2009 and 929 gallons of moonshine was confiscated. Once home to almost ninety licensed distilleries and many saloons, by 1911 Virginia's Franklin County, in the heart of Appalachia, had been reduced to a single liquor business operated by Richard Flemming Rakes. Good moonshine can "hold a bead" so a bubble at the surface stays intact, due to surface tension and indicating a high percentage of alcohol rather than watered-down product. "I think there is an innocent explanation, but I haven't happened By James H. Burnett III Globe Staff,September 1, 2012, 6:00 p.m. Your email address will not be published. You can read more about moonshine on Wikipedia there is also a lot of information on the distilling of moonshine here. But if you wanted something a little bit stronger, you winked at the waitress and you went in the back, Stanley said. The grand jury's deliberations had been common knowledge in Franklin Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. William B. Hopkins, Another View of the Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935, VBA News Journal, p. 19 (Winter 2009/2010). And an air of mystery continues to surround the case, as part of the trial records disappeared from the Franklin County Courthouse files. 0. But did you know that Franklin County, located in the mountains of Virginia, came to be known as the Moonshine Capital of the World due to the regions heavy involvement in the illegal moonshine industry that occurred during Prohibition? Franklin County in the Blue Ridge is traditionally considered the center of moonshining Virginia. Online Ordering / DELIVERY / Curbside for ABC and Kitchen. After a grueling two-month trial, the verdict was finally made public on July 1, 1935. Liquor is manufactured from corn, rye, and other grains - unlike wine, which is produced from grapes or other fruits. An article in the Winter 2009/2010 edition of VBA News Journal penned by Lees nephew, William B. Hopkins, suggests Lee was thrown under the bus, as he was simply following orders that came directly from Virginia Governor John Garland Pollard. But was told many intriguing stories of what went on. The distillery is in the small town of Boones Mill, famous for being home to the Bondurant brothers store during Prohibition, where the bootlegging brothers and their associates would transfer moonshine for national distribution. Virginia man talks about lifelong moonshine making. The cold mash moonshine produced at this distillery is a neutral spirit that makes for a, Looking to sample moonshine in other parts of Virginia? FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. - Henry Lee Law is a third-generation moonshiner. In truth, however, the Governor of Virginia had directed law enforcement to take fines from whiskey makers wherever possible in order to relieve congestion in both the courts and jails in the Commonwealth. Bondurant Store Location Franklin County VA.wmv shortcrow 9 subscribers 21K views 12 years ago The Wettest County in the World- Granville Bondurant's store location in Franklin County. The image of a moonshiner in the Blue Ridge Mountains tends to bring to mind an impoverished backwoods farmer, but in reality, some moonshiners would turn an incredible profit, especially during Prohibition. In fact, Matt Bondurant wrote that his grandfathers shooting was unknown to the family until his father found a newspaper article about the incident. Before World War I the Bondurants made a good living selling moonshine, but now Prohibition has arrived and there are new problems on the horizon for those in that business. 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