Franklin County also acts as a gateway to the Blue Ridge Parkway, 'Round the Mountain Artisan Trails, and is of course the . deputy sheriffs and Commonwealth's Attorney Charles Carter Lee, a grand-nephew Lawless is based on the book The Wettest County in the World by Matt Bondurant, Jack Bondurants grandson. One is covered in shrubs not too far from Rocky Mount, and at a spot in Rocky Mount, theres another that is no longer there. As Reston developed and land values increased, the Bowman family moved the distillery to Spotsylvania County in 1988. Just south of Roanoke on Virginia highway 220. One reason for "moonshining" at night, in moonlight, was to hide the smoke from the eyes of informers and tax agents - but today, propane tanks offer a smoke-free alternative. "I think there is an innocent explanation, but I haven't happened 0. The jury found him not guilty, after his lawyer claimed he was confused by the question and that:5. Enjoy Virginia spirits responsibly and enjoy Franklin County. If you want to sample authentic Virginia moonshine in its legal form, visit Franklin County Distilleries, the first legal distillery founded 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. 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. Finally, if youre visiting Southern Virginia, plan a stop at Bondurant Brothers Distillery in Mecklenburg County, run by one of the grandsons of the legendary Bondurant brothers. 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. His grandfather and father have. It was lengthy in both duration and defendants. Seven defendants pleaded guilty, including Sheriff D. Wilson Hodges, and FCD crafts todays liquor from family recipes handed down over generations. Franklin County went from 77 legal distilleries in 1893-1894 to 16 in 1906 to one in 1911 and none in 1917. As of the 2020 census, the population was 54,477. Franklin County is made up of rolling farmland, picturesque lakes, scenic trails, and small towns rich with Blue Ridge folk history. years. All moonshiners were hard workers, Law said. because roads in the mountains are bad, corn is concentrated into whiskey for transport. Spirits would be taxed by the American government on and off for about 40 years after the Revolutionary War, followed by a 45-year untaxed period; however, with the start of the Civil War, Congress would again pass a whiskey tax. By the 1930s folks were so intertwined with moonshine that the national spotlight came to rest on Franklin County. The remaining 20 defendants went on trial at the old federal building in Or are they? 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 page turner! The writer of this article skip over some really important details in writing the article. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. For years, far more sugar was sold in Franklin County than the local residents could ever eat. Franklin County Moonshine Heritage Festival | Moneta VA The stills found during a raid would then be destroyed using axes or sticks of dynamite. 25156 Hwy 220. Greer said the trial transcript might contain evidence that two brothers In response, lots of citizens chose not to license their distilleries or pay taxes on the resulting liquors. Just south of. 0. Today we chat with Franklin County Tourism Director, David Rotenizer, Bethany Worley Director of the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum, and Karen Dillion Editor of the Franklin News-Post. Paul, who presided at the trial. Learn More: Franklin County Distilleries Heritage Spirits >, In a veritable race to be first, Twin Creeks Distillery also launched in 2015. Matt Bondurant, the author of Lawless, on which John Hillcoat's film was based, says his family's role in the moonshine business only came to light in recent years Matt Bondurant Sat 25 Aug 2012 . The natural thing to do is run when there is danger. And, in fact, there's a country right here in the Old Dominion that lays claim to being the Moonshine Capital of the World. Wed love to hear your thoughts and experiences in the comments below! Want to know more about Virginias lesser-known history? Instead, the connection lay in the local garages, where mechanics used their skills to modify engines to increase speeds and suspensions to ensure better handling on the roads. Three years before national prohibition took effect by way of the 18th Amendment, Virginia went dry. Make it a little dough, like bread, said Henry Lee Law, a third-generation moonshiner. Image Courtesy of The Library of Virginia, But the Revolutionary War was at hand and the country needed money to pay for the care and supplies for American troops, so the government imposed a tax on alcohol. There are distilleries in almost every region of the Commonwealth making legal moonshine, allowing you to get an authentic taste of Virginias moonshine history during your visit! Federal authorities later claimed that Franklin County had been divided We invite you to taste local history with Franklin County Distilleries. Franklin County Crafted Spirits We use age-old distilling methods and locally sourced goods. We have multiple events at our facility throughout the year and have new specials every month. After Rakes was forced to close in 1916 by the forces of prohibition, the county swiftly gained a reputation as "The Moonshine Capital of the World," a name in which it glorifies . subsequent trial for jury tampering. Hours 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closed Thursday & Sunday (540) 483-1890 fchistorical@yahoo.com. 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. William B. Hopkins, Another View of the Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935, VBA News Journal, p. 19 (Winter 2009/2010). One Franklin county bootlegger stated in an interview with Essie W. Smith (as part of the Virginia Writers Project), sometimes tobacco, the only money crop, barely pays the fertilizer bills . . According to the Blue Ridge Institute and Museum, agents in Floyd County alone destroyed 3,909 stills, made 1,669 arrests, and seized over 716 vehicles along with 130,717 gallons of alcohol during Prohibition. Ironically, drinking in public became socially acceptable for women in speakeasies and private clubs; whereas before, women would not enter a saloon, unless like Carrie Nation, it was to smash the liquor. These details and the lack of tax revenue caught the attention of lawmen on a national level, and a federal investigation began. One such moonshiner in Franklin County bought an airplane so that his son could fly over their land and make sure their stills werent visible from above. In the 1990s, the retired lawyer Keister Greer led a thorough investigation to understand where those might have gone.[5]. In 2015, Franklin County Distilleries became the first legally licensed distillery in Franklin County since Prohibition. At 10 weeks, it was the second longest trial in Virginia history (behind that of Aaron Burr in 1807). Instead of wasting the fruits and grains that they were unable to sell, the farmers used a homemade copper still and wooden barrels to mix the mash and store resulting spirits for years to come. FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. - Henry Lee Law is a third-generation moonshiner. He set out to make the distillery a living history lesson, like stepping back in time. 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Multiple days spent hauling crops that could spoil could be reduced to one day hauling liquor that would not spoil. 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. 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. In this episode, we talk about what events visitors can expect to participate in during Moonshine Heritage Month, a month-long . By 1933, this rate had increased to sixteen before beginning to drop after Prohibition ended, reaching ten by 1940. Just south of Roanoke on Virginia highway 220. It's left a trail of graft and slime,It's filled our land with vice and crime,It don't prohibit worth a dime,Nevertheless we're for it.. In 1920, for every one hundred thousand people, there were twelve murders. 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. The original distillery was built on the family's Sunset Hills Farm in 1935, at the end of Prohibition. Portrayed in the movie Lawless starring Shia LaBeouf as Jack Bondurant, the Bondurant Boys were Franklin County rumrunners in the 1930s. 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. 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. The most comprehensive list of wrestling tournaments all in one place. Call for shipping price. Potatoes or other starch-rich foods can be fermented to produce alcohol. Franklin County remained wet and voted 1,373 against statewide prohibition with 1,079 for. Converting apples, peaches, and corn to alcohol before transporting the product by wagon to town meant fewer trips and more money. Now, Im not saying they didnt shoot em up and they didnt beat each other up and they didnt have thieves and that sort of thing. newspaper accounts. Not surprisingly, some distillers preferred to run their operations illegally rather than pay these high taxes. If a moonshiner ran, the agents would chase them down, but most of the time, the men caught red-handed would give up without a fight; violence was a rare result for moonshine raids at the time. Two-way radios had not yet been invented, so evading capture was still possible for moonshiners with fast vehicles who knew the winding country roads along their route. Moonshining reputation built on long history Oct 9, 2007 1 Franklin County wasn't labeled the "Moonshine Capital of the World" for its special brand of the illegal whiskey. With the sugar, the . Homegrown in the Moonshine Capital of the world, Franklin County Distilleries is built on the brand that moonshiners created, and offers a true taste of history in every bottle. Now since the popularity of moonshine is rising, Law wants to make sure people know that moonshiners had to be very smart to build steel subs to make the drink. It now produces Virginia Gentleman bourbon as well as other liquor in a converted clothing factory (the old FMC Cellophane plant that once produced the inner linings for men's suits) located downstream of Fredericksburg.2, Illegal distilleries or "stills" are concentrated in the rural mountainous counties. Virginia State Police has identified the pilot who was killed in a plane crash in Carroll County. | HIRING - Wait and Kitchen Staff! Now, we will take a deeper look at moonshine operations and where locals could get a drink without the fear of the law enforcement raids during prohibition. Two Virginians were key in suppressing the Whiskey Rebellion. In the early years of Prohibition, alcohol consumption did decline as did alcohol related illnesses, deaths, and crime, but as Prohibition continued, consumption, illness, and crime began to climb, with consumption reaching 70% of Pre-Prohibition levels. As the fees increased, small time moonshiners were forced out of business and the illegal industry was consolidated. The jury stayed out This was the first time moonshine was made by colonists in America, although the indigenous peoples had been producing their own alcoholic beverages from corn and other native plants prior to the arrival of colonists. You have to realize that in Southwestern Virginia and down into North Carolina and Tennessee, moonshine has a heritage that has made the area what it is today. The Great Moonshine Conspiracy Trial of 1935 resulted in the indictment of 80 people involved in the illegal production and distribution of moonshine whisky in Virginia. 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. A farmer could make enough liquor to cover his own familys needs and then sell or trade the rest with other members of the community, allowing them to utilize produce that would have otherwise spoiled and been thrown away. 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. Forrest Bondurant: It is not the violence that sets men apart, alright, it is the distance that he is prepared to go. convicted. Franklin is an independent city in Virginia. 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