Thesis

Throughout my research I have found that moonshine has been constantly evolving to meet the demands and changes in culture, beginning with the Prohibition and leading up the present day. The biggest changes in moonshine over the past century have been the past decade due to the rise of moonshine in popular culture, leading to many moonshiners going towards craft liquor operations.

The rise of moonshine as an illegal industry began in Southwest Virginia began in the late 1800s, however it wasn't until the Prohibition in 1920 that the way moonshine was produced and distribution saw its first change. Once Virginia became a dry State in 1914, moonshiners began to run liquor with vehicles to major hubs. In Franklin County, 'shine would be taken to Roanoke where it could be put on a train and taken north to New York and Philadelphia. The Prohibition also gave rise to the submarine still, which allowed moonshiners to produce much larger amounts of alcohol with one still. By the time Prohibition was over in 1933, moonshine was one of the largest industries in Southwest Virginia and especially in Franklin County, where it was estimated that 99 of 100 residents where in some way connected to the bootlegging of moonshine, causing it to be known as the "Moonshine Capital of the World". During World War II, rationing caused a shortage of sugar, forcing moonshiners to look for alternatives including molasses. Also during this period, glass canning jars became the new way moonshine was packaged, this lead to the mason jar becoming the symbol of moonshine. (The Blue Ridge Institute)

One the largest changes in the production of moonshine has occurred in the past decade and is still occurring to this day. It is the transition from illegal moonshine operations to legal ones, which can be largely attributed to the rise of popularity of moonshine. The rise in popularity of ‘shine is due to it being shown in popular culture with the Discovery Channel’s TV show, Moonshiners. "The show has brought moonshining back and made celebrities out of Smith and his fellow 'shiners, as they tramp around the backwoods of Virginia setting up stills" (Diertle, npr.org). Another major reason why moonshine has been brought back into the spotlight, is the film Lawless which is based on a true family, the Bondurant’s, and their rise to bootlegging history in Franklin County Virginia.