Moonshining in the Blue Ridge

Much of what people think they know about moonshining

is shrouded in folklore and myth.

~ James Kelly
Director of Museums
Virginia Historical Society

First, there was the Indiana exhibit The Stills of Dubois County and now from the Virginia Historical Society comes Moonshining in the Blue Ridge, exploring the cultural and economic history of illicit distilling in the Old Dominion.

The press release reads in part:

In an effort to explore the 20th century more fully, the Virginia Historical Society (VHS) is hosting an exhibition about illegal alcohol distilling in southwest Virginia in defiance of the federal excise tax. Moonshining in the Blue Ridge, produced by the Blue Ridge Institute & Museum of Ferrum College, opens at the Society on Saturday, May 10, 2008, and explores more than a century of moonshining traditions in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

[snip]

Items on display in Moonshining in the Blue Ridge include actual stills, a full-size diorama of a still operation, still makers' tools, dozens of period photographs, video interviews with moonshiners and federal agents, documents, jars, and other memorabilia.

If you’re in or around Richmond, drop in and let me know how it is.

28 North Boulevard, Richmond, Virginia 23220
Mail: P.O. Box 7311, 23221-0311
Phone: 804.358.4901
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10-5 / Sunday 1-5

http://www.vahistorical.org