Old Moonshine Still Location Question

[maxxkatt]

These look like meta grain storage bins that were built into the ground. I am assuming for raw materials making moonshine. But I am not sure. I have metal detect a leveled out area upstream about 30 feet and found lots of rusted barrel hoops and a bent U-shaped small gauge rail road track about 4' long. This location is in a forest where an 1840's homesite is located. The still is about 1/2 mile from the house. So the question is were these metal round cylinders used for grain storage or something else? in the last picture you can see other depressions/holes which may indicate there were 5 or 6 storage bins at this location by the creek.

 

[JCR]

Very interesting site that should hold some interesting finds. I think most still sites were kept very secret & no business was done at the site but, there is always a possibility of a cache I would assume.

[Ridge Runner]

In about 65 the biggest still sites ever discovered was found in Mississippi. I remember seeing pictures of it but don’t remember what county it was in . My Dad did run moonshine and may been a customer more than a runner. I do know my mother and him parted company long before this took place.

 I’d say you’re going to find more trash around that site you found than money. The people working it most didn’t have a pot to pee in are a window to throw it out. They were working for the man and he didn’t get his hands dirty.

 Chuck 

[Valens Legacy]

Almost all stills were made from copper to keep from killing anyone, and used no lead.

Some of the moonshiners did have several steel vaults where they stored some of their products and supplies.

The pictures look like one of those vaults to me. My grandfather had several pictures of them that he had showed me in the past. The vaults were easily hidden and easily accessible to evade the police.

The still was the most valuable item because it was copper and they always had someone guard it.