Still House

Still House. . , In 1968, the Tennessee Historical Commission and the Tipton-Haynes Historical Association reconstructed the still house. Colonel John Tipton is believed to have had a still house in this general vicinity. In a sworn deposition of August 20, 1788, Colonel Tipton references his still house twice as he and others describe the February 27-29, 1788 Battle of the State of Franklin. He states:, "Two young women passing by near to the still house before mentioned were fired upon from which firing one of them received a bullet through her shoulder." , Colonel John Tipton, A non-working, reproduction still was built in 1966 by former moonshiner Melvin Crawford. Imported alcoholic drinks such as rum and wine from Great Britain became difficult to obtain after the Revolutionary War. Distilleries became a widespread economic and social aspect of the newly formed United States of America. Whiskey quickly became the drink of choice for America by the early 1800s for either recreational or medicinal purposes., [Captions:] , This 1969 photograph looking through the corn crib shows the newly reconstructed still house and springhouse., This July 27, 1986 Johnson City Press newspaper photograph shows Melvin Crawford posing with the newly constructed still., The replica still and mash boxes that were typical of the time of Colonel John Tipton