A Most Unique Heritage
1920. It was a year not remembered like
most. It was one of those rare defining
moments in American history. One of many
milestones of 1920 was the enactment of
the 18th Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution. So began the
Prohibition Era which lasted
thirteen years, along with a
decade known as the Roaring
Twenties. Fast forward one
hundred years to 2020.
Wherever you are in the
United States, every community
has its own story and collective lore from
that era. One notable locality which comes
to mind in association with the Prohibition
Era is Franklin County, Virginia. The
county has long maintained the moniker
Moonshine Capitol of the World. National
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attention was brought to the county when
a federal investigation indicted 34 people,
which included 19 moonshiners, one
corporation and nine local government
officials – 31 were convicted.
At the time, it had become
Virginia’s longest-running
trial. It is now known as the
Conspiracy Trial of 1935.
This trial is but a small tip
the iceberg to a legacy which
has become a unique cultural
heritage tradition. While federal
prohibition may have ended in 1933, the
tradition of illicit moonshine production
has continued up to near the present
day. In 2016, the first legal producers of
distilled beverages since before prohibition
launched their craft. Today there are
Young Men Hauling Hogsheads of Pumice (mash) to a Distillery near Endicott, VA, on a Mule-drawn Wagon circa 1904.