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Community Corner

Lorton History: Bootleggers and Moonshine

Desperate times called for desperate measures

The social tradition of consuming alcoholic beverages can be traced back to colonial times and getting a drink in Lorton these days is as easy as going to a local bar or restaurant. Wine, brandy, rum and whiskey were either imported or made in the colonies. Just a few miles to the north of here, George Washington’s restored whiskey distillery, which at its peak production period in 1799 produced 11,000 gallons of whiskey from five stills and a boiler, can be toured as an educational experience.

Alcoholic beverages have almost always, even from colonial times, been heavily taxed in this country and this led to many people trying their hand at producing their own. Providing an unprecedented impetuous to do just that was the ratification of the 18th Amendment in 1919, instituting the Prohibition era. The importation, sale, export, consumption and manufacture of liquor was outlawed in the United States leading to clandestine speakeasies where a password was required to be admitted and it led to outwitting the Federal Agents and Coast Guard to prevent midnight deliveries of good Canadian whiskey. Family tradition has it that my own dear father at times was known to transport Canadian whiskey to points around Baltimore and Washington in his automobile, specially equipped with false floorboards and seats.

During the 1920s and 30s, times were hard in the Lorton area. There was little money and no jobs. Fishing was seasonal and gardens provided some, but not enough, sustenance. Wild game was hunted and taken into Alexandria to an open air market and sold. But times were still lean and men provided for their families the best way they could. Many turned to making moonshine whiskey. The small creeks and streams in the area provided water and the sparsely developed area provided plenty of places to conceal a still. By the time Prohibition was repealed in 1933 with 21st Amendment, a way of life had been set. Several older residents of the area told me, “Everybody did it.”

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One family I know tells the story of the father having his still on a creek in the woods up behind their house on Gunston Road. He would put the moonshine whiskey in Mason jars and hide them under the bed in the house where it was readily available to sell to customers. Another local family told me about their still on Sandy Point Road (now called High Point Road) in Gunston and even provided a photo of the operation. There was once a still in the basement of Lebanon Plantation House according to life-long local resident Earl Curtis, who said the smoke from the still was vented out through the chimney to cover up the operation.

Federal agents were a real nemesis and there is one story about Buck Howard who had a still somewhere in the area of Belmont Road in Gunston. One day agents came to raid his still and seeing the agents through the woods, Buck took off running toward home. However, he left his coat behind. The agents recognized the coat and went to Buck’s house to confront him. Buck denied that the coat was his, although the agent insisted it was. At that point, Buck went back into the hallway and came out with an identical coat saying here is my coat.The agents left without making the arrest they had expected.

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The Hicks family also escaped detection when a Federal agent raided a still across the road from their home and came over to ask for a drink of water from their well. The agent told them, “I just raided your still across the road.” “Not my still,” Mr. Hicks replied, but obviously someone else’s, for Mr. Hicks’ still was in his shed, within sight of their well.

Not everyone was so lucky. An article in the September 22, 1944 edition of the Fairfax Herald gives the names of three well-known residents of the Lorton area who were charged with unlawful manufacture of alcoholic beverages.

By the 1960s, the number of state-controlled Alcoholic Beverage Control stores had increased and people no longer had to go to Alexandria or Fairfax to purchase legal liquor. Those with vehicles could go into Woodbridge to make their purchases. Development made avoiding detection more difficult and the market for local moonshine declined. But it has left behind a wonderfully colorful era of local history with tales of Revenuers tromping through the woods searching out moonshine stills to smash and local residents coming up with ever creative ways to hide their activity.

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