1930's, North Carolina

[greggn]

Found on Facebook, no other info given. Note the log thumper.

****************
Great Smoky Mountains, Western North Carolina, 1930s...
Three men pose for a picture at a moonshine still hidden deep in the Smoky Mountains...

Source: Frank M. Hohenberger Photograph Collection

[Yummyrum]

Cool pic Greggn.
Also love the water race feeding the worm and flake.

[Saltbush Bill]

Nicely spotted Yummy, I hadn't noticed that.

[harold01]

I was wondering when the pants and braces will be back in fashion

[greggn]

I figured there had to be one somewhere and, sure enough, right there in plain sight ... a gun. It looks like the guy in the back is holding up a pistol. A little too much motion blur to be sure but it looks right.

[greggn]

Dang, a simple Google search for "Frank M. Hohenberger Photograph Collection" finds the other photos of this set-up.

[Steve Broady]

still_2.jpg

I know there are a lot of folks here who are far more interested and knowledgeable about weapons than I am. What kind of pistol is that? It’s certainly not what I would associate with my limited cartoon-inspired knowledge of the time and place.

[higgins]

Seems like this

1930s_pistol.png (18.7 KiB) Viewed 2868 times

Just might be one of these:

lugerP08.jpg (4.27 KiB) Viewed 2868 times

The Pistole Parabellum or Parabellum-Pistole, commonly known as just the Luger or Luger P08, is a toggle-locked recoil-operated semi-automatic pistol. The Luger was produced in several models and by several nations from 1898 to 1949. The design was first patented by Georg Luger.

[Bolverk]

I was wondering when the pants and braces will be back in fashion

If you're brave enough or have enough "don't give a f..." everything is in fashion

[Steve Broady]

Seems like this
1930s_pistol.png
Just might be one of these:
lugerP08.jpg

Hey, I don’t feel quite so ignorant now! My first guess was a Luger, but I know I’m the last person you want to ask about such things, and didn’t want to sound stupid.

[subbrew]

That is interesting he would be carrying a Luger. They were never that common in the US and especially before WW2 when returning service men brought quite a few home. The Luger would have been a pretty high dollar gun compared to a Smith & Wesson or Iver Johnson.

Looks like the guy in the back in the first picture has a revolver of some type in his hand but I can't see enough detail to identify.

[Steve Broady]

That is interesting he would be carrying a Luger. They were never that common in the US and especially before WW2 when returning service men brought quite a few home. The Luger would have been a pretty high dollar gun compared to a Smith & Wesson or Iver Johnson.

That makes me wonder if he was a WW1 vet, having picked that gun up in Germany. Old photos like these always make me wonder about the rest of the story, both of the event/activity and the people.

[ruminant]

There are a few more to find if you search the IU special collections site with the keyword "still" and limit it to that photograph collection, though many have been posted already in this thread. https://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/images ... 15&start=0

Two appear to be taken of the same small still in Indiana, listed with this metadata:
Title: Still in Weed Patch settlement, Oliver Neal, etc.
Date Taken: 1926-07-22
Call number: 5x7, Box 1, Item 44
Subject: 5x7, Stills (Distilleries), Fathers and sons, Game wardens
Geographic place: Washington (Brown County, Ind. : Township), Weed Patch Hill (Ind.)
Personal name: Neal, Oliver Otis, 1874-1953; Neal, Fred




Does that look like a prohibition-era single-run pot still for maybe five gallons of wash?

(And hey, if this preview is any indication, we can get some better resolution by clicking on the image on the IU site and using that for the image URL in the post!)

[The Baker]

I was wondering when the pants and braces will be back in fashion

I've been wearing braces since my waistline disappeared...

Geoff

[Twisted Brick]

A few more photos from North Carolina Moonshine - An Illicit History. First race I've seen with snow.

[Bolverk]

The timing of this thread couldn't be more perfect... I just accepted a new job in NC so I'll be moving there very soon.

[Steve Broady]

Come on down! There are a handful of us in and around NC.

[higgins]

The Southeast Meetup is on April 23rd in Murphy, NC. It would be great if you could come.

[Saltbush Bill]

Love NC been there before, if times were different it would be tempting.

[Bolverk]

Thanks, fellas. I probably won't be there in time for the 4/23 meet-up... maybe next year, but it's good to know we have several members there that I could meet up with.

[shadylane]

In the first pic, I liked the gum log being used as a thumper.