A vintage color linen postcard showing a homemade 80 gallon moonshine still in a dense forest. The scene features a rounded tan clay furnace with a metal pipe leading to a basin. The title at the top reads 92: AN 80 GALLON "MOONSHINE STILL" IN THE HEART OF THE MOUNTAINS.
The reverse side of a circulated vintage postcard with a divided back. A green one-cent George Washington stamp is canceled by a postmark dated OCT 9, 1939. The left side is covered in dense blue handwriting detailing syrup making and drying fruit. Vertical text along the bottom left edge identifies the Asheville Post Card Co. as the publisher.
A vintage color linen postcard showing a homemade 80 gallon moonshine still in a dense forest. The scene features a rounded tan clay furnace with a metal pipe leading to a basin. The title at the top reads 92: AN 80 GALLON "MOONSHINE STILL" IN THE HEART OF THE MOUNTAINS.
The reverse side of a circulated vintage postcard with a divided back. A green one-cent George Washington stamp is canceled by a postmark dated OCT 9, 1939. The left side is covered in dense blue handwriting detailing syrup making and drying fruit. Vertical text along the bottom left edge identifies the Asheville Post Card Co. as the publisher.

1930s Making Moonshine Ashville North Carolina Vintage Postcard

$12.00
/
Shipping calculated at checkout.

About This Vintage Postcard

This fascinating linen era piece captures a moment of classic Appalachian irony. While the front depicts a hidden 80 gallon moonshine still, the reverse provides a rare, literal account of the grueling "syrup making" season in Franklin, N.C. Written in October 1939, Mrs. Anderson’s message details the communal labor of a sorghum harvest. Harvesting and pressing cane just before the first frost. By choosing a card featuring the region's most famous illegal industry to describe her husband’s legitimate farm work for the neighbors, Mrs. Anderson offers a playful "wink" that bridges the gap between mountain myth and rural reality.

Details

Era: Linen 1930s (1939)
City: Franklin (Mailed from)
State: North Carolina
Country: United States of America
Topics: Moonshine Still, Sorghum Syrup, Appalachian Irony, Great Depression Agriculture
Artist/Photographer: Unknown
Condition: Circulated (Postmarked Oct 4, 1939)
Orientation: Horizontal (Landscape)
Publisher: Asheville Post Card Co. Asheville North Carolina
Printer: Unknown

Additional Information

The message on the reverse provides a vivid snapshot of the 1939 agricultural cycle in Macon County. The mention of producing 50 gallons of sorghum syrup, drying fruit, and "sweet potatoes" aligns perfectly with the seasonal urgency of the first frost. The "R1 B69" likely refers to Route 1, Box 69, marking this as a piece of genuine rural delivery history.

"Dear Friend: We're thru making syrup here now Husband will make some for the neighbors at their place next week. We have ordinary sorghum cane made 50 gal. or more will sell several gal. Don't care much for it myself. Its cool here nights & mornings expect frost most any time. Am still drying fruit must dry sweet potatoes soon. Your friend Mrs. Anderson. Franklin, N.C. R1 B69"

This vintage postcard would look great framed or make an excellent addition to any collection.

Love it ♡
Get it ☆
Get Lucky 💋 Vintage

This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

You may also like

Recently viewed

Back to Vintage Storefronts & Commerce Postcards