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Stories of the Past.
This small pine still stands today on a hill overlooking Rocklick
Creek it looked the same back in the late 1960's early 70's . Please
notice the black on this tree and also the ground . Notice the ground
that it has a dug out whole. In this spot use to be a furnace for a
beer boiler concrete blocks were on each side for the boiler to sit
on. To the left the remainder of the still was set up. After filling
the boiler with beer femanted in barrels that were burried to the
left of the pine tree ( at this location there were 4 each 55 gallon
wooden barrels ) buried to ferment beer for whiskey making. Now back
to the way the still was sit up. The boiler had a lid that fit the
top and in the middle of the lid was the cap. The cap had a whole in
it for the blow pipe (4" in diameter) to fit in and run to the
thump keg that was a vessel (4ft X 3ft) to hold stem. At the thump
keg was a hole for the blow pipe to fit into on one side running from
the cooker/boiler bringing steam in to fill the thump keg. The other
side of the Thump keg was where the worm connected and stem would
then flow into the worm. Worm was copper 3/4 to1 in. diamater and
coiled in a coil to fit in a # 3 wash tube . The tub was filled with
cool water and when the stem got started down the copper worm coil it
then turned to liquid which then was moonshine whiskey
Whiskey Making.
Whiskey making was very popular in Kentucky for many many many
years. My Dad was as good as they come when it came to making White
Lighting. Yes it was illegal but what the hell people that drink were
going to get their fix somewhere........................ I can
remember the goody good acting like they were better than the best
and when in reality they were worse than the worse............... Oh
well on with this story and a few funny ones along the way. We made
whiskey out of a lot of different things..............corn was a most
popular thing to use but other things such as peaches were among the
favorites of most drinkers and we sure had a lot of people wanting
Peach Brandy. In the fall of the year Pap would send to South
Carolina to get peaches. A man from Casey Count would go and get a
load for us. He had a ton truck with 4 ft racks on it he filled it to
the top of the racks. This was enough peaches to fill 14 barrels for
fermenting. These 14 barrels would average 6.5 to 7 gallons of good
high proof whiskey fit for a king to drink.
One Funny Story.
One funny story. Pap had a partner helping him at one time. This
partner always brought his lunch / dinner in a small brown bag. This
day was like any other day as Dad and this man filled the boiler with
still beer and capped it off and sit back to wait for the worm to
fill with steam and then out of the worm would come good moonshine
whiskey that was at least 200 proof to start with. As they were
finishing preperation and starting to see whiskey coming out of the
worm Mr. H. took off running and Pap not knowing what was going on
took off like a jet in the other direction thinking the law was upon
them. As he ran through the woods he came upon Mr. H. and and ask him
what the hell was he running from. Mr. H politely replied, that dam
dog of yours run off with my dinner and had it ate before I caught
him. They had a laugh and got back to the still to finish the run of
whiskey. I heard this told so many times by these two and each time
they laughed until tears came from their eyes. Mr. H. remained a true
friend and neighbor down through the years and meant so much to me in
my growing up on Rock Lick Creek
10 Generations.
10 generations here in the Vaught family.............Grandpa Vaught
was the best of best and passed it down to my Daddy. I made the10th
generation but my career was cut short due to some wonderful ready
for sainthood neighbor turned the still in to law enforcement.
However all in all it was a wonderful wonderful part of my life and
so many time down throuugh the years I often think of this and wish I
had taken pictures.....
Deliveries.
Saturdays were for deliveries the area we serviced with door to door
service were. Science Hill, Mt Zion, Poplar Hill. Mintonville ,
Argyle, Wheldon Ridge, Ansel, Vaught Ridge, Cedar Knob and Hogue not
in this order. Older women like the moonshine and often were the ones
that came out to greet us with a piece of homemade pie. Pap would
then present them with their weekly medication but not before
sampling it in front of them and then they would get a drink and then
the green was in our hand and off we would go to the next desrving
satisfied customer.
Sorghum Making Time.
Mallasses Stir Off
"And You Think You Had A Hard Day"
Grand Pa Vaught .........Will Marion Bud Vaught. A very gentle but
yet firm man was known by many people as a great neighbor and friend.
I can remember the great feeling being around him and the love he had
for us kids. My Dad Cyrus Vaught was also of the prank nature type
person. At Sorghum making time. I can remember Grand Pa Vaught coming
to the stir offs the first thing he would do he would fix the
skimming hole which would bring lots of laughter to the whole bunch
gathered there for the work and fun. I don't know which one would
laugh the most or loudest my Daddy or Grand Pa Vaught when someone
stepped in the hole. Howard ( Padgett ) Dick Denny Haste , Floyd
Hodge, Lincoln Hodge, Dude Vaught, Talmadge Irvine , Preach Dick.
Oscar Roberts , Rubin Irvine, Roscoe Dye, were just a few of the
visitors that would come at time of the stir offs. Padgett Dick was
the one that got in the skimming Hole the most ???????? A little
shine always would brighten up all events and there was some of that
around in those days. My Dad was a great dancer to any type of music
he could dance to Rock and Roll or he could dance to good up beat
tempo bluegrass. Grand Pa Vaught was a great singer. I have been told
and some of the other Vaught's were some what musically inclined.
Grand Pa Vaught
He and grand ma (sweet bread perfectionist all that have ate it
will know what I mean) lived in a little building next to us (that
uncle Chester and my Dad renovated an old chicken house to make
living quarters for them) there on Rock Lick during the last days of
their lives. Mom and Dad cooked, cleaned and cleaned up after them
for a while during the sixties. I remember having the pleasure of
taking their breakfast to them and what a treat it was just getting
to spend that time with them. He (grand pa vaught ) kept a big huge
large peppermint stick candy in an old trunk he had along with twist
chewing >>> backer <<< lol lol lol he would give me
a piece of that and it tasted like candy just a tad but had that
tobacco taste also ...........yes I ate it..............I remember
him saying the tobacco is what made it good. The fall before he died
that following winter he helped strip cane for sorghum making. I
remember him asking my Mom ......Hazel what are you going to do with
all these green beans having lost some of his thinking capacity he
thought we were breaking beans you would assume but knowing how
myself, my Dad my uncles like to pull pranks I have to wonder if he
was still at great personality in his last few months. Daddy told me
a story on Uncle Killis that in the fall of the year Killis had been
known to take burlap sacks and stuff down neighbor chimneys then when
they built a fire on that first cold day smoke would fill the house.
What great wonderful memories.
Yea this time of year sure brings back found memories from my
childhood . Time has come to get that cane cut stripped and start
running through the grinder to get that sweet juice out that makes
sorghum . First off it was a job to gather up enough wood to fire the
boiler with to get that juice to cooking to make that good tasting
sorghum. Tonight people will gather round to talk , tell stories of
past stir offs and make history for talks at other stir off to come
.Who will step in the skimming hole tonight to be laughed at often
the same person would be the one . Howard Dick has got in the
skimming hole so many times his name should be Sorghum foot . What
great wonderful memories I have this morning going through my mind of
friends neighbors and loved ones that have gone on never to stir
another sorghum pan, never to laugh at a person getting in a skimming
hole, never telling stories of the past again.....They now are the
past and a part of a way of life that use to be that was so enjoyable
to so many. We that have these memories respect the stories relive
them, laugh at them and recall these people that were so not noticed
as to how important they were to us then and now from these years of
fond memories past . Make time in your life to stop and relive sad
times and the good as both are part of who we have become now and who
we will be when we die . Loving thoughts to everyone on this fine
fall day that has been given us to enjoy and it will be a part of our
life as history moves on to the next day.
Cyrus Vaught was a great Sorghum maker.
My Dad Cyrus Vaught was a great Sorghum maker his looked like syrup
after the finished product was put in a jar no black motor oil
lookling Molasses from him. Old fasion is the only kind we knew of
since this recipe was handed down from a lot of Vaught generations. I
have to tell you folks that he also made high quality moonshine
whiskey no junk so to speak. He sold it to state workers Sheriff's
and deputy sheriffs and U.S Marshalls and a lot of politicians . We
shipped some out west one time to Texas through a local regular large
customer after that each year 20 gallons of Peach Brandy was shipped
out west this same customer doing the traveling and hauling of this
high quality whiskey/ Peach brandy was made from peaches . The
peaches were fermented and then the beer run through a copper boiler
condensing the vapor to a high grade peach brandy
ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mummmmmmmmmmmm ummmmmmmmmmm good.
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