Revenooers confirm reputation of Carolina moon

“The annual report of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1919, shows that North Carolina continues to lead the Union in the number of illicit distilleries seized, the total being 814.

“Georgia comes second with 789; Virginia third with 356; Alabama fourth with 348; South Carolina fifth with 280; Tennessee sixth with 226; New York seventh with 126; and Kentucky eighth with 125. In no other state were as many as 100 distilleries seized during the year.”

— From “North Carolina leads” in the Forest City Courier (Dec. 25, 1919)

h/t Rural North Carolina History

By 1954 the state’s annual count of still seizures had risen to 3,846, and the Board of Alcoholic Control had decided to fight firewater with firewater.