Although North Carolina isn’t the top producer of liquor by volume at this time, it has almost double the number of stills of any other state, thanks to the abundance of small distilleries.
Commissioner of Internal Revenue Green Raum cracks down on illegal spirit production in western North Carolina, starting a so-called “moonshine war,” during which the number of captured moonshiners and confiscated stills jumps.
North Carolina comes to be known as “The Old Moonshine State,” consistently reporting some of the highest numbers of stills destroyed, gallons of liquor seized, and arrests.
Elizabeth “Betsy” or “Bettie” Sims — “Queen of the Moonshiners” — runs her illegal liquor operation along the border of North and South Carolina. After her arrest, she illustrates the success of her operation by wearing new, stylish outfits in court.
The Alcohol Tax Unit makes one of its largest seizures of moonshine from Robert Glen Johnson’s home in Wilkes County, the self-proclaimed “moonshine capital of the world.” On the property, agents find 7,100 gallons of whiskey and 9,150 pounds of sugar.
Junior Johnson — Robert Glen Johnson’s son and a future NASCAR star — races for the first time at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, which was built through a deal between bootleggers and promoter Bill France. Moonshiners’ growing involvement in racing helps make North Carolina a top venue for early NASCAR events in the 1950s.
“The Moonshine King of the Great Dismal Swamp” — aka Alvin Sawyer — is busted for his operation of the largest moonshine still ever seized in the marshes of the Pasquotank River, despite the decline of the industry as a whole during this time.
Piedmont Distillers — the oldest legal moonshine distiller in North Carolina — is founded in Madison. Combined with multiple films about distillers Jim Tom Hedrick and Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton, this leads to a 21st-century moonshine revival in North Carolina.
Eleven Our State authors share stories about the role light plays in their holiday celebrations.
For more than 50 years, a dazzling chandelier has hung in the dining room of the Executive Mansion in Raleigh. Only recently has its remarkable backstory been fully illuminated.
At Burge Flower Shop, Randolph County residents find comfort, joy, and inspiration by the bouquet.
A pair of mother-daughter innkeepers inherited a love of hosting from their expansive family. At Christmastime, they welcome guests to their historic lodge in Stanly County.
