Moonshine in Wilkes....

... purely as an academic subject, you understand. Today, since I was already up in Boone, I went over to the History Dept at Appalachian State to listen to a talk by an expert in Appalachian history entitled "Moonshiners on our Mind: Distilling, Prohibition, and Identity in Western North Carolina, 1791-1908. I learned all kinds of things.

For one thing, in 1855 there were only 150 people in Wilkesboro (North Wilkesboro didn't even exist). The reputation of moonshiners had its ups and downs. Before the Civil War they were just good ol' farm boys converting their crop into a value added, easy to transport commodity. During the Civil War they were evil barbarians depriving the local folks of much needed food supplies in order to line their own pockets. After the Civil War they became champions of the anti-Federal resistance and closely allied with the Klu Klux Klan.

Bruce the expert said that when he first did a Google search for 'Moonshiners' the first hit was the home page of the Wilkesboro Chamber of Commerce decrying the stigma of the Moonshine Stereotype.

Gee. Maybe I should change my banner under the Not Mayberry title.


Naahh.