Moonshiners

Interest in southern Appalachian history and culture is growing in the academy. Moonshining is one particular area that is beginning to fascinate both the scholar and history buff. From the popular Discovery Channel show “Moonshiners,” to the growing number of articles and books, the history of illegal whiskey and its related culture hold a powerful draw. I am fascinated with the topic because of my own history. I grew up in the Appalachian foothills on a tributary of the French Broad River in northeast Georgia, the same river that supplied many of the western North Carolina moonshiners Bruce E. Stewart writes about in his compelling book, Moonshiners and Prohibitionists: The Battle over Alcohol in Southern Appalachia.

My Christian upbringing insured awareness of moonshine’s dark side, but familial association with local people and ways make its cultural mores strangely meaningful. Stories of whiskey stills and liquor-running were commonplace in my childhood. My daddy talked of going to the woods as a kid to secure liquor left for his father in a secret location. I had a neighbor who was one of the original NASCAR drivers, and everyone knows how NASCAR got its start! The sheriff arrested his brother, a deacon, choir leader, and state legislator, caught with a trunk full of moonshine destined for his cronies at the state capital. Another gentleman, a beloved member and deacon of my home church (Broad River Baptist) had been a prominent moonshiner in our community. My parents pointed to his Christian conversion and godly life to reinforce the benefits of faith and sobriety on their children.