January 23, 1964 — U.S. and state agents descending on a large poultry house in Steam Hollow near Shenandoah, on Saturday of last week, discovered a complete distillery on the second floor.
A record haul of 270 gallons of moonshine was also discovered on the premises.
Officers could not recall when such a large quantity of contraband whiskey was seized in the Shenandoah Valley. Older agents said that even during prohibition days the seizure of that much moonshine in one building was a rarity for the area.
The agents found a uniquely-constructed square copper still which was fired by bottled gas heaters. Most stills are round in shape, officers said.
To further add to the convenience of the illicit operation, water was piped into the building. All this did not seem to effect the several hundred laying hens housed on the first floor.
The moonshine was found in jars, tubs, kegs and barrels. There were also 17 barrels of grain mash handily located near the still.
The agents destroyed the still and mash and poured out the liquor.
~ From the public archives of the Page News and Courier
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