Moonshine in McCormick: Author & historian to speak on Sept 19th

An added attraction of fun and frolic during the annual Gold Rush celebration will be a free look at what has become a purely American icon—the art of moonshining. Everyone is invited to the McCormick County Library for an hour-long, free presentation by award-winning author and historian, Jerry Alexander of Seneca. Starting at 3 p.m.on Saturday Sept 19th, this is your chance to ask all your questions about the proverbial little moonshiner making illegal rot gut whiskey in his still down on the creek by the light of the silvery moon. McCormick residents can learn for the first time, minute details of this unique part of American culture. He even goes through the exact steps of how moonshine is made. And it is all in good clean fun. Everywhere he goes, Alexander leaves the audience in an uproar of laughter at his moonshine tales.

 Retired long-time owner and publisher of the Pickens Sentinel and several specialty niche magazines across the south, Alexander presents numerous area talks on several of his books, including “Where have all our moonshiners gone?” Other current titles include, “Blood Red Runs the Keowee” (River) about the Cherokee War, including the Long Canes slaughter; “Antebellum Old Pickens District before the Civil War” (Oconee and Pickens Counties); “Barely living from Payday to Payday on a Southern Cotton Mill Village” and a huge, 1,100 page, three-volume set of genealogy books entitled “Alexanders of upper South Carolina.” He also teaches a well attended course on moonshining through Clemson University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Insitute outreach program.

Many of his books will be available for purchase at the event. He will be pleased to autograph them as well.

Author and historian Jerry Alexander