history of shine in northeast texas

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jb-texshine
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history of shine in northeast texas

Post by jb-texshine »

Does anyone know any? I know its still around but its mostly younger people. It can be found at the mudbog races every weekend. There is a road in town named still house rd because in the mid 80's a house that dated back to the 20's was being torn down and a large still was found in the basement.my great uncle (88yrs old) told a story of a bootlegger burying bottles in between cotton rows and him finding them and getting drunk on them at 14. Seems the bbootlegger tied a small piece of cloth around the base of each cotton plant that had a jar below it. That's all I got, just lookin for more.
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Deo Vendice

Never eat Mexican food north or east of Dallas tx!
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ranger_ric
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Re: history of shine in northeast texas

Post by ranger_ric »

WOW, burying jars.. Can you imagine how much hard work would have been involved in bootlegging. Jobs must have been pretty scarce
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SassyFrass
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Re: history of shine in northeast texas

Post by SassyFrass »

I don't know any of the history of shining in TX, but jars been buried in many tobacco patches around my neck of the woods.

Shining wasn't always like you see/hear about from the prohibition days.
A lot of folks all over made their own likker.
From what I understand, most of the saloons and some of the ranches, made their own likker, when they started out in the early days.
Just makes sense. Transportation of dry goods was a lot easier and cheaper than moving a liquid. And/or they could make likker from locally sourced ingredients too.
Folks had to be self reliant, and if you wanted a drink, you made yer own.
A lot of the Scots/Irish descended folks from the hills of KY/TN/VA/WV ended up moving west so they would have brought their traditions too. Not just to TX, but all over the west. Especially after the Civil War.

I'll bet you'll find a lot of interesting history if you do a little digging locally. Especially with older folks.

Just a little rambling thoughts from a hillbilly. Ain't meaning to hijack yer thread. I just enjoy the historical aspect.

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ranger_ric
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Re: history of shine in northeast texas

Post by ranger_ric »

I could certainly see burying my stash for future use... (matter of fact I may do that to keep the kids out of it)
but having to do that once or twice a week to make a livin would be brutal. and findin those strings in the dark.. Respect man, Lots of Respect for those that came before me.
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jb-texshine
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Re: history of shine in northeast texas

Post by jb-texshine »

My grandpa and his brother were born in 25 and 26 respectively.the string incident happened around 1940 close as his brother remembers.we lost granpa2 years ago. As kids the family were migrant cotton pickers from one side of TeX and back for 25 cents a day for the adults 15cents a day for the kids...had cotton boll scars on his hands till the day he died. His daddy come to texas in a wagon from Georgia as a babe. Grand ma made mulberry wine and I remember her serving it to her first cousin any time he came through fort worth...he said it was just like their grandma's. Hard to believe the famous Baptist evangelist Billy Graham's grandma made her own wine but I was there for that conversation! I still remember the taste of mulberry wine,and ain't ever tasted better.
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thecroweater
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Re: history of shine in northeast texas

Post by thecroweater »

burying bootleg was common here (prolly still is)
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ranger_ric
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Re: history of shine in northeast texas

Post by ranger_ric »

Im sorry Croweater did you say "still is" ?? I am gettin a little hard of hearin/seein in my age ....?
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Re: history of shine in northeast texas

Post by Truckinbutch »

A very distant cousin of my mother , both now deceased , corresponded with my mother about her mule team and wagon trip with her father at the turn of the century (1899 to 1900) from Carroll County ,Virginia to McAllen Texas . She married into a land grant family named DeWeiss . She told my mother about riding a steam train back to Carroll County with her father once for some family event . Other information in the letter indicated that her father also bought supplies to continue the family tradition in Texas .
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