Moonshine, Vengeance, and Bloodshed in Southwest Virginia

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Moonshine, Vengeance, and Bloodshed in Southwest Virginia | short documentary

Рет қаралды 76,043

Күн бұрын

Joe Van Dyke and Monte Hansford explore the wild and lesser-known stories of southwest Virginia history.
#swva #virginia #prohibition #moonshine #history #americanhistory #appalachia #tazewell
Image sources:
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
The Library of Congress
The Tazewell County Historical Society
Tazewell County Public Library
Select photos courtesy of Virginia Tech. Special Collections and University Archives:
Photo, "Brewing Moonshine" ep 554, Earl Palmer Appalachian Photograph and Artifact Collection, Ms1989-025, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
Photo, "Moonshine Still" ep 311, Earl Palmer Appalachian Photograph and Artifact Collection, Ms1989-025, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
Photo, "'Submarine' Moonshine Still" ep 556, Earl Palmer Appalachian Photograph and Artifact Collection, Ms1989-025, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
Photo, "Making Moonshine" ep 462, Earl Palmer Appalachian Photograph and Artifact Collection, Ms1989-025, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Пікірлер: 70

@craiglowrey9550 Жыл бұрын

My good friend, Bruce Lane, lived in Raven most of his life. We served in Nam together and i spent time in Raven 1965. His dad was a foreman at the coal mine. Bruce told me much about that area and Tazewell County and, being from the pacific northwest, I found it really interesting. I visited Bruce several years ago and we drove up to his folks old house, it brought back lots of memories. Sadly, Bruce passed a couple of years ago, but my time in Raven lives on. Thank you for your stories.

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing your memory of Bruce. And thank you both for your service to our nation.

@joevandyke3471 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching. My family was an interesting bunch....happy to.share my stories

@garyglanville1158 Жыл бұрын

So interesting. I love anything to do with the history of the Appalachian mountains. Family from East Tennessee. Thank you for sharing.

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it! You can pretty much see East Tennessee from here. So close.

@joevandyke3471 11 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching and sharing...Joe

@ktrn2b Жыл бұрын

Fantastic show! We enjoyed it here in WV, we have a rich history of Moonshining as well.

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

Very cool! I am glad you enjoyed it. Whitaker Ridge is so close to WV, you can see WV in the aerial shot in the background when the hilltop cemetery was shown. This is an amazing part of the USA.

@paradoxstudios6639 Жыл бұрын

You enjoyed the show or the moonshine ?,,lol

@joevandyke3471 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for watching...please share

@jeanlawson9133 Жыл бұрын

My name is Scotty Lawson I am from Raven 😎 Well Doran bottom,,,and Mill Creek Holler.... Red Root Ridge and the Vandyke boys,,,Terry Smith....are some of my friends and Fond memories...And the best of moonshine.... I worked at 460 Skate-in back in the 70's..... Buddy Dunford was a friend As well I knew a Lee Roy Dunford...l imagine they have all since passed.😎. My Pop's worked with Jim Mercer All the names you mentioned Osborne on Road Ridge.. Christian family on Jewell Ridge....... Small world... AIN'T IT JUST AIN'T IT 😜 lols. Thanks for sharing.

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

Hi, Scotty! Thanks for watching. I bet you also have some wild mountain stories to share.

@jeanlawson9133 Жыл бұрын

And some that may not need told,, But a most wonderful and vivid Youth for sure....

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

Idk, but sounds like the stuff of another interesting KZfaq video!

@joevandyke3471 11 ай бұрын

Wow....I am Joe V....this story gets bigger....thanks for watching and sharing!!

@Bigkillaward 8 ай бұрын

Reminds me where we live in western pa, believe it or not it's just a little more backwoods around here but pretty similar.. it is definitely beautiful

@BeartownFilmBureau 7 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing, Craig. What's the most beautiful mountain place in western PA? I'm always hunting for the most powerfully gorgeous Appalachian landscapes.

@tarariddle4184 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing! My family is the Bandy’s and Lambert’s, hailing from Bandy, Whittaker Ridge, and Panther Branch. One of my grandmother’s sisters married a Vandyke. My great-grandfather, Charlie Lambert, made moonshine and unfortunately spent a year in jail for it.

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comment. Wow - you have deep family history in a very beautiful part of SWVA. Sounds like you probably have some amazing stories, too!

@joevandyke3471 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and sharing our story! More to come..

@lisacooper3991 Жыл бұрын

Just came across ur channel, great history video. Beautiful scenery. Hey from South Carolina..

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching, Lisa! SC also is home to amazing U.S. history. A terrific state.

@paradoxstudios6639 Жыл бұрын

My grandparents lived in Spartanburg for awhile, grandfather purchased land north of there near Cowpens and Gaffney way out in the country, there was an old house used for storing hay on top of a small hill with big Cedar trees, an open field on a slope and then more acreage going back into thick woods with a nice stream with plenty of sandbars, snakes and salamanders, the area smelled of honeysuckle and Jasmine, off to the north you could see two mountains as you were near the southern Appalachian area, and there was an old couple who lived by the gravel road going to the property, there last name was Crowder, they had a sizeable garden and gave us plenty of fresh vegetables, I miss those days.

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

Sounds like heaven.

@lazydaddy4133 Жыл бұрын

This is cool!

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

Wild stories are plentiful here in the Heart of Appalachia!

@joevandyke3471 Жыл бұрын

Thank you all for your interest. These are true stories that I enjoying sharing.

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

I trust you're getting all of your incredible stories down on paper for a book. It'll sell!

@brennis_the_menace3414 7 ай бұрын

I descend from the Shrader’s on my mom’s side who settled in Tazewell by my 7 great grandad Johannas Christian Shrader sometime after fighting in the war of independence.

@BeartownFilmBureau 7 ай бұрын

Holy cow -- that's some impressive U.S. history in your bloodline. Few people have American roots that go back that far.

@clubmike2910 Жыл бұрын

I have many ancestors from Tazewell County. The Sparks and Turner to name a few. I have to go back and visit. I would like to go camping in SW Virginia.

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

Come home and explore your roots. And here's a solid camping/cabin option: dwr.virginia.gov/vbwt/sites/cavitts-creek/

@joevandyke3471 Жыл бұрын

Cavitts Creek Camp Grounds. Large lake, well kept, 15/nt tent, 45/yurt or cabin

@michaeldowdy3176 4 ай бұрын

My family came from Bandy, the bottoms at the bottom of Whittaker Ridge. In 1940 my great uncle was caught running shine and in the census that year it showed he was a inmate in the county jail. They say Franklin county is the Moonshine capital of the world but imho Bandy shine is the best. Thanks for the video I’m a long way from home and miss it. Much appreciated from the Philippines 🇵🇭

@BeartownFilmBureau 4 ай бұрын

Sounds like your family is deeply connected to Bandy history. Thanks for sharing this!

@michaeldowdy3176 4 ай бұрын

@@BeartownFilmBureau are you from Burkes Garden? I grew up in Gratton right past Gas n Guzzle on the right up on the hill. Our house burnt down a few years back but Granny’s house is still there.

@BeartownFilmBureau 4 ай бұрын

@@michaeldowdy3176 I'm not lucky enough to say I am from BG, but I am here now. Heck yes - I bet I see your granny's house on a daily basis. Small world!

@joevandyke3471 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comments. Its true, i dont have, or should I say, use...my appalacian dialect unless im speaking to close friends. Im well traveled, perfromed on over 1000 stages and enjoy meeting nee people

@paradoxstudios6639 Жыл бұрын

What's interesting to know is how there are regional accents and I have heard many Virginian and West Virginian accents that are considerably different sounding than going just a tad bit further south and picking up that real stereotypical hill-Cumberland dialect from Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia like I hear a lot in Alabama, only we have Yankees and other national transports moving here, this man has an almost midwest sounding accent.

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

Thanks - That's an intriguing take on the accent! Joe Van Dyke (I take it you were talking about Joe's accent) is a true red-blooded SW Virginia man, to be sure. He's also a well traveled man of adventure, so his worldly journeys could've softened his mountain dialect. For comparison, listen to the accent in this video, featuring another SW Virginia native: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/rqppe8tn0qvRmKc.html

@williampoff3096 Жыл бұрын

As a NATIVE VIRGINIAN , (Floyd Virginia Southern Blue Ridge Mountains) and PROUD SOUTHERNER, I feel like the accent this man has picked up is either from the military or he may haved moved back to Virginia from living in another part of the country. His accent is not pure Southern Appalachian, that's for sure, but I know his roots run deep here, so I do consider him a true Virginian. Virginia is a OLD South State and we are very proud of that here in the Southern Blue Ridge. I just thought I would holler at ya and let ya know we take our heritage and our native accent, very seriously here. And we don't care for carpetbaggers (northern transplants) here either my brother. God bless🙏🤠

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

Floyd is terrific, sir. That's a good analysis of Joe's accent. I'll leave it to Joe to jump in and give his take on your reasoning about his dialect. As a professional music performer and singer, I'm sure Joe's able to easily adjust his voice characteristics. ... And I grew up further south, so I can appreciate your skepticism of transplants. Although all of us have at least one or more transplants in our family lineage, or most of our bloodlines would've never left Europe.

@joevandyke3471 11 ай бұрын

Thank you sir. You are 100% correct. I am well traveled, military, speak 3 languages and do use my appalachian dialect when around certain real friends...🤣🤣🤣

@tp-mh2ji Жыл бұрын

Moonshine still in Arkansas!

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

I am betting there's plentiful moonshine in most (maybe all?) states - though I've not yet tasted any from The Natural State.

@davidbailey4236 Жыл бұрын

My great grandfather was killed and my grandfather was shot by revenuers at a moonshine still on may 21st 1922.

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

Wow. That's a wild story. Where did this happen?

@davidbailey4236 Жыл бұрын

The records say he was killed somewhere in the alleghany mountains near Hot Springs Virginia. His name was Zurr Oliver Bailey my grandfather who was 16 at the time was also shot in his upper thigh and left to die his name was Lawson Dean Bailey. There's a lot more to the story, my grandfather said he crawled over to his dad laid his head on his back and listened to his heart stop. He was shot in the back with double 00 buck shot. @@BeartownFilmBureau

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

Holy cow. What a heartbreaking story, David. Thanks for sharing.

@NeoMK Жыл бұрын

My grand daddy was shot and killed by robbers after he chased after them in 1976 I believe. I was 2. People around here can be really really hateful. But that's like 1%.

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

That's a sad story, @NeoMK. Sure enough, there are many more good people in SWVA than bad ones. Mostly the folks here are positive, warm neighbors who help each other.

@mikea5424 6 ай бұрын

The Altizers and Whittakers had problems too.

@BeartownFilmBureau 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for the info! I want to learn more.

@kickflip665 Жыл бұрын

Braithwaite

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

Braithwaite, UK?

@kickflip665 Жыл бұрын

@BeartownFilmBureau Braithwaite family from red dead redemption they were a family who made moonshine

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

Got it - thanks!

@NeoMK Жыл бұрын

Wow, flat land. Not much of that around SWVA.

@BeartownFilmBureau Жыл бұрын

You're right! The "Bandy Streams" property in Bandy has terrific small fields surrounded by mountain terrain. Really eye-catching, so I'm really happy that we were allowed to film there. Next time you're in #SWVA, you should go check out the brilliant landscape at "Bandy Streams" facebook.com/groups/536489634892021/