The 18^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution became effective on January 16, 1920, hence the start of prohibition (it was repealed by the 21^st Amendment in 1933).  One hundred years later we share a look at one local incident that created quite a stir around here.  This story was originally published in the Town and Country Newspaper on March 3, 2013 as part of the Valley Past series.

The King of the Valley Farm was located along Montgomery Ave. in  Upper Hanover Twp., near Eighth St.  During a search by police in 1928 a still and illegal whiskey making operation was found on the property.

            Folks around here have lots of stories about the early moonshine makers and bootleggers.  This one has a unique twist as far as who the four-legged "whistle-blowers" were.

            Back in 1928, there was a farm known as the 'King of the Valley' located on Montgomery Avenue, near Eight Street in Upper Hanover Township.  The property had been in the Scholl family for years until Eugene W. Scholl sold it to John Klaus in the mid-1920's.  At the time this area, just west of Pennsburg, was the home to several working farms.  Cattle from neighboring farms grazed in the open fields and quenched their thirst in one of several small streams, fed by underground springs that flowed through the Klaus property to the Perkiomen Creek.

Police also found a Peerless automobile, like the one pictured above,  during their raid on the King of the Valley Farm.  The rear seat was re- moved from the vehicle to make room to haul illegal whiskey.

            That is until one day in the spring of 1928 when the neighbor's cows stopped drinking the water.  According to a report in the Southland Times, cows need 4 liters of water for every 1 liter of milk, and if their drinking water is polluted they will drink only as much as they need to digest their food, and no more.  Less water equals less milk.  The bovine refusal sparked the local farmers into writing complaint letters to the Montgomery County authorities about pollution in the local waterway.

            State Police Sergeant Alfred Lykens and Trooper O. A. Maske of the Norristown barracks traveled to the area and conducted an investigation into what dangerous poison or harmful chemical had gotten into the water.  What they found smelled and tasted familiar.  It was mash.  Good old fermented and distilled corn liquor running from the area of the Klaus barn to the stream.  The Troopers immediately retired to the office of local Squire Horace H. Smith, where they obtained a warrant to search the Klaus farm. 

            Lykens and Maske gathered up a few more State Police Officers, and conducted a raid on the property.  When they arrived at the farm they served John Klaus with the warrant and began to rummage around the property.  They found Benjamin Ronick, of Philadelphia, sitting on the back porch.  According to Trooper Lykens, Ronick "smelled strongly of mash."  They also found Benjamin Lewhart of Philadelphia nearby.  Ronick identified himself as a hired worker on the farm, and Lewhart claimed he was Klaus' son-in-law. 

            The police continued their investigation and traced the source of the stream polution to the pigsty.  In the shed they found the still in operation.  According to the police, "it was boiling and looked as if the doors had just been opened and the fire checked.

            In addition to the 250-gallon operating still, the raid on the Upper Hanover farm netted 71 barrels of mash, 18 five-gallon cans containing moonshine whiskey, 1-½ cases of yeast, charcoal used to filter whiskey, a whiskey gauge, and a Peerless automobile.

            The Peerless was somewhat of a luxury car.  During prohibition it was common to convert large, fast cars for the purpose of hauling illegal booze.  This practice wasn't confined to the south or to regions of Appalachia.  Rumrunners existed right here in Montgomery County.

            The car found on the Klaus farm was missing the back seat.  In its place, the police found eleven 38-pound coke bags and 3 empty five-gallon tins.  On the front seat was an empty jug that "smelled strongly of whiskey."  The car's owner was listed as Herman Goldman, also of Philadelphia.

            Lewhart originally claimed that he didn't know who drove the car there and that he arrived in town via the 4:29 afternoon train to Pennsburg.  However, when he was reminded that he was found on the property during the raid at 3:30, he admitted that he borrowed the car from Goldman.  He stated that since his wife is the daughter of John Klaus, he often travels to the farm.  At one point during the raid, Lewhart allegedly offered Trooper Lykens a bribe.

            Neighbors reported seeing the car at the farm regularly during the last four months along with a suspicious white truck.  This same white truck was seen pulling into the Klaus driveway during the raid.  One of the Klaus family members reportedly alerted the driver, who quickly left the area.  Pennsburg residents reported that this truck made regular trips down Eighth Street to the Klaus farm.  They also reported that, during a snowstorm last winter the vehicle became stranded in the snow on Eight Street and that the occupants "worked feverishly in shoveling the snow to move the truck." 

            Klaus claimed to have no knowledge of the still, and that he had an agreement that shows he rented the pig shed to three other men.  The police found it hard to believe Klaus' claim since the pipe that supplied water to the barn also provided water to the building housing the still. 

            Ronick, Lewhart, and Klaus were arrested and after a preliminary hearing in front of Justice of the Peace Horace H. Smith, and failing to post $1,500 bail each, they were provided with appropriate quarters at the Montgomery County Prison.

            At one time, there were nearly 2,000 stills in Pennsylvania.  According to published reports, in 1928 it was estimated that almost 1.2 million gallons of illegal liquor was produced in the keystone state. 

            Some of it was distilled in our own back yards.