60-Gallon Still Blown Up on Bays Mountain

Kingsport Times-News – January 5, 1968

A moonshine raid led by Sullivan County Sheriff Bill Wright Thursday afternoon turned up an elaborate moonshine setup, all of which was blown up, officials reported.

Officers reported they had to crawl through about 100 yards of underbrush to reach the site of the still on Bays Mountain in a section facing Ridgefields.

“The density of the underbrush accounts for why the still was not spotted by airplane patrols which have scoured the area recently,” according to Deputy John Bishop who participated in the raid.

Bishop said officers were led to the site by a tip in a letter sent to the sheriff’s department.

According to officers, the raid turned up a 60 gallon copper still, eight barrels of mash, two gas burners, three bags of feed, a rubber hose, and several hundred feet of water hoses.

No arrests were made, officers said, since no one was at the scene at the time of the raid about 12:15pm.

Also participating in the raid were Captain Harless Stump, Investigator J.C. Fletcher, Constable Howard Hensley.