FRANKLIN COUNTY, Va. – You can’t talk about the history of Franklin County without talking about moonshine.
“They’ll tell true stories about liquor making in Franklin County, the Moonshine Capital of the World, and we’re in the county seat of the Moonshine Capital of the World, which is Rocky Mount,” said Linda Stanley, the Managing Director of the Franklin County Historical Society.
To kick off Moonshine Heritage Month, the society held its annual event, the Moonshine Express, after having to cancel last year due to the pandemic.
“It’s kind of special because a lot of people think they know about liquor and think they know about moonshine, but we tell them the facts,” added Stanley.
[READ MORE: How did Franklin County become the Moonshine Capital of the World?]
The facts are from the people who made moonshine before moonshine was legal to make, including Henry Lee Law. Law is a third-generation moonshiner.
“To be able to do that now, after all these years, because it was illegal for so many years. Now, everything has changed so much, being legal, that we’re able to come out and talk about it. For so many years we couldn’t talk about it,” Law said.
There were also actors who dressed the part and told old stories. Crowds enjoyed all that the Moonshine Express had to offer, including live music, vendors and more.
“We have distillers who come, we sell moonshine books that tell about the actual history. We have old cars who either hauled moonshine liquor or could have,” Stanley said.
From lessons on liquor to the makings of moonshine, the event was more than just a trip back in time.