And Stanley knows a lot about the history of the moonshine in Franklin County, from the good and not-so-good. In 2012, The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control had issued licenses for legal distilleries located in Albemarle County, Culpeper County, Fairfax County, Franklin County, James City County, Loudoun County, Norfolk, Richmond, Spotsylvania County, and Virginia Beach.1, The Bowman distillery in Spotsylvania County is the oldest legal distillery in Virginia. In response, lots of citizens chose not to license their distilleries or pay taxes on the resulting liquors. We offer tastings of our custom spirits, delicious food, custom merchandise in store and online, and a fun family oriented atmosphere. The Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935. In the early 20th century, law enforcement officials examined moonshining supplies at a still bust, believed to be in Franklin County. A children's menu is also available. 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. Given the poor state of many roads and the reliance on wagons, a trip to town or a railroad station could take up an entire day. Moonshine Beekeepers Association Franklin County, Virginia Dismiss, Click Here to View FCD's Live Virtual Tour, 25156 Highway 220, Franklin County, VA 24065. But likker makin' still goes on. The natural thing to do is run when there is danger. Want to know more about Virginias lesser-known history? The original distillery was built on the family's Sunset Hills Farm in 1935, at the end of Prohibition. 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Check out our articles about Virginia Beach & the Historic Cavalier Hotel or Airlie & the Origins of Earth Day, and stay tuned for more But Did You Know history articles to learn about some of Virginias most amazing untold stories, Im told my great grandfather Charlie craft Martin was a deputy sheriff during this time and also was a bootlegger and he had shot killed a man I enjoyed watching the movie lawless as I still live in Virginia, My Grandfather Thomas Creed Cooper was a bootlegger who lived in Callaway Virginia. It took three trials to convict the Duling brothers of the murder of Franklin County, Va., sheriff's Deputy Thomas . Required fields are marked *. The first time I got ran, the officer came around and grabbed me by the neck and grabbed my partner around the neck, both of us at the same time. Franklin County is known as the moonshine capital of the world. Farmers in the mountains might raise more than enough corn to feed families and livestock, but the cost of transporting the surplus to a market was too expensive. These skills translated easily to the world of NASCAR, where speed and balance were two of the most important factors of racing. Have you visited Franklin County recently? Three years before national prohibition took effect by way of the 18th Amendment, Virginia went dry. Laws were passed during this time to make rural distilleries illegal, and in the following years, Virginia counties one by one banned both the production and sale of spirits. During one year of Prohibition more sugar was shipped by rail to Boones Mill and Franklin County than to New York City. Looking to sample moonshine in other parts of Virginia? . 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.). 'The Untold Stories of Notorious Franklin County Moonshiner Amos Law." Follows the 6-year career of Amos Law and includes some of Henry's exploits as well. They continued selling illegal, untaxed spirits after Prohibition ended, and some still do today. Set in Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a trio of bootlegging brothers are threatened by a new special deputy and other authorities angling for a cut of their profits.Set in Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a trio of bootlegging brothers are threatened by a new special deputy and other authorities angling for a cut of their profits.Set in Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a trio of bootlegging brothers are threatened by a new special deputy and other authorities angling for a cut of their profits. 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? Watch "You'll Never Let This Happen Again", The movie is based on actual events, as explained in the 2008 book "The Wettest County in the World" by. However, the drys won the state, and under the Mapp Act, Virginia began statewide prohibition in 1916, three years before the 18th Amendment instituted national Prohibition. Before Prohibition took effect, many wealthy Americans, including politicians and business leaders who had voted or supported the dry position, began stockpiling enough liquor to last through their lifetimes. Tour of Franklin County, VA Franklin County in Virginia's Blue Ridge. Moonshining is concentrated in the mountains for several reasons, but primarily because there's a centuries-old tradition of converting corn crops into whiskey to simplify transport for sale outside of the region. 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. By Duncan Adams. William B. Hopkins, Another View of the Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935, VBA News Journal, p. 19 (Winter 2009/2010). The agricultural aspects of the communities and a lack of roads to transport produce grown on the lands to other parts of the state resulted in an abundance of fruits and grains to use in the distilling process. These details and the lack of tax revenue caught the attention of lawmen on a national level, and a federal investigation began. During this era, the Blackwater River was used . The cold mash moonshine produced at this distillery is a neutral spirit that makes for a perfectly balanced cocktail. When the government imposed a tax on alcohol during the American Revolution, many decided not to register their distilleries so they could avoid the charges. 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. Indeed, a good portion of the Franklin County populous was involved with moonshine even if they werent distilling or distributing. The last reference to the transcript that Greer has found is a 1945 , the first legal distillery founded in Franklin County. The prosecution summoned 176 witnesses, most of which (if not all) were convicted criminals, versus the defense's 69, taking roughly 10 weeks for the entirety of the testimonies to be heard. Franklin County is located in the Blue Ridge foothills of the Commonwealth of Virginia. NASCAR might not have acquired many drivers from Virginias illegal moonshine trade, but one such driver who did come from this background was Wendell Oliver Scott, a Black American racer from Danvilles Crooktown section. 981-3324. Your email address will not be published. Mountaineers could use wood, a cheap fuel. Henry Law used small-batch recipes from his father and grandfather, processed through two "doublers" or "thumper" barrels with a 60 feet long "worm" made of 2-inch copper pipe to condense the alcohol vapor. Copyright 2022 by WSLS 10 - All rights reserved. Franklin County Kahila Moonshine Classic detail view. As the Temperance movement made headway, local options allowed localities to prohibit alcohol (dry counties). These were the first moonshiners in America, with many residing in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western Virginia where a smaller, less dense population and large tracts of land allowed them to hide their operations with relative ease. And in Franklin County, there is a deep history of moonshine. By the 1930s folks were so intertwined with moonshine that the national spotlight came to rest on Franklin County. Franklin County - The Moonshine Capital of the World. If you want to sample authentic Virginia moonshine in its legal form, visit Franklin County Distilleries, the first legal distillery founded in Franklin County. FCD crafts todays liquor from family recipes handed down over generations. Virginia Governor Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee actually led the troops from Bedford, Pennsylvania into the western part of the state. We wrestled around for a few seconds. It was how a lot of people kept their families fed, kept roofs on schools and on churches, said Linda Stanley, with the Franklin County Historical Society. 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. When they came to America, they believed that they would be free of these fees and could resume producing their own distilled beverages without infringement from the still-forming U.S. government. In 1929 alone, 35,200 illegal stills were seized in the U.S. During all of Prohibition, 3,909 stills were destroyed and 130,716 gallons of alcohol seized in Franklin County which accounted for 18% of the alcohol and 12% of the stills found by law enforcement in Virginia. Locally, J. H. de-Hart of The Mountain Rose Distillery in Philpott, Virginia advertised reminding customers to submit orders that could be filled and delivered by October, 1916. In 1935, a federal grand jury sitting in Harrisonburg indicted 34 Franklin Across the nation, farmers did not share in the economic prosperity of the early 1920s. By 1914, Virginia voted to ban alcohol completely and the Commonwealth was completely dry of legal liquor. . Although Prohibition was no longer in effect, illegal moonshine was still a thriving industry, as moonshiners went to great lengths to avoid paying taxes on their products. notation that the document was wired to the clerk of the U.S. District Court Tuesday, January 8, 2019 6:00 AM Heres the interesting part, Law said if the moonshiner got away, they would find another spot in Franklin County and set up another location to make moonshine until the law came and raided them again. "They scooped up on me a few times, tried to bulldog me into the ground," Law said. 467 Franklin St Rocky Mount, VA 24151 Get directions Edit business info You Might Also Consider Sponsored Regal Valley View Grande 21.2 miles away from Franklin County Moonshine Festival Sage N. said "There are in fact student discounts, the previous reviewer is mistaken in that regard. He caught my buddy and I got away, and Im like, Wow man, what a rush, Law said. 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. These 3 men bootlegged gallons and gallons of moonshine all over the state of Virginia and were some of the best at it. 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. MOONSHINE EXPRESS Hosted By Franklin County, VA Historical Society. Biography Bondurant in 1931 While rumors of continued moonshining in the mountains persist, no arrests for. Virginias moonshine history runs deep, so its no surprise that the mountain region of Virginia still has plenty to offer when it comes to distilled spirits. Your email address will not be published. Get more stories delivered right to your email. . As Prohibition ended in 1933, moonshining had become a huge economic force in the mountains of Virginia, and although alcohol was once again legal, the profits from illegal moonshining in the region remained high, encouraging the bootleggers to continue their shady enterprises. He was charged with perjury after state and Federal agencies cooperated in Operation Lightning Strike and broke up three moonshining rings that produced nearly 500,000 gallons of untaxed liquor between 1992-1999. A "white liquor" distiller in Wilkesboro was arrested in October 2009 and 929 gallons of moonshine was confiscated. Forrest (Tom Hardy), Howard (Jason Clarke), and Jack (Shia LaBeouf) Bondurant successfully run moonshine out of the mountains and into Chicago, until the law gets involved--and not in the way you might initially think. With the sugar, the . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Official Tourism Blog Of The Commonwealth Of VirginiaCopyright 2023 Virginia Tourism Corporation, 901 E. Cary St., Suite 900, Richmond, Va 23219. This Franklin County (Va.) still, which was destroyed in 1972, is reputed to be the largest one ever destroyed. The still was discovered in 1979, by which time revenue agents estimated that it had run for several years before being discovered. Spirits Visit Us Events Peg Hatcher's Straight Whisky 750 ML | 86 Proof | $44.50 Peg Hatcher's Straight Whisky is currently sold out at 13:15:49 MARTINEZ Or have you ever tried to make it yourself? 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