Thursday, March 1, 1851 Still Licensed At Maiden In 1797;
George Haus Paid Fee of $4.20 For Month
Turning back the pages of local history one hundred and fifty-four years, Dr. J.E. Hodges, of Maiden, whose hobby is "Little Known Facts of Tar Heel History," says liquor was being consumed by many residents of this area, then as now.
At the time, though, Catawba county had not been organized and this territory was part of Lincoln county, Dr. Hodges stated. Here is the situation as he reports it:
"In the good year of 1797, George Washington had just ended his second term as president of the young United States and John Adams had just started his job of serving as the second president.
Down on Bills Branch (Haus Branch then) old man George Haus, or Haas, or Hass, or Hosa, or Horse, as some spelled it, lived on his farm. This was about half-way from Newton to Maiden and was a portion of the land formerly owned by his father, Pioneer Simon Haus, who came down from Pennsylvania and settled there about 1747.
Grain, Fruit Cheap
Mr. Haus, being a farmer, had plenty of grain as well as apples and peaches. Grain was cheap and as for his fruit, there was no market at all.
Mr. Haus had something else. He owned a still, something that would transform this fruit and grain into an easily handled product that would bring cash.
But Mr. Haus could not set up his still, manufacture his raw materials into a suitable article without any restraint - not even in 1797.
I have before me, a license to operate this still with a receipt for the fee the government required of him before he put it into operation.
At that time Lincoln county was in the "First Division of the Fifth Survey in the District of North Carolina."
William Polk was the "Supervisor of the Revenue" for N.C., and Daniel McKissick the "Collector of the Revenue" for the "First Divison." This document is printed on a sheet 6x7 inches.
$4.20 Per Month
The license issued August 12, 1797, permited the still to be operated from the 13th day of August until the 12th day of September, for a fee of ten cents per gallon of the capacity of the still, which was forty-two gallons. Therefore, to make oath that the still was not operated a longer time than allowed by this license."
It might be mentioned that William Polk was of Mecklenburg county, and was a Revolutionary Colonel in the North Carolina line of the Continental Army. McKissick lived where Maiden now stands. He was a militia captain in the Revolution, and was seriously wounded at the battle of Ramsour's Mill. Soon after the close of the Revolution, Daniel McKissick entered one hundred acres of land "on Maiden creek, above the great road from Bullinger's Mill to Beatys Ford." A little later he entered two hundred acres on Allen's creek, adjoining the first tract. This last entry covered the land on which a portion of the town of Maiden was built one hundred years later.
Article donated for use by Mary Rink Harbinson
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