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The Spirits of Whiskey Prison
The Spirits of Whiskey Prison
BY KIMBERLY BROUILLETTE
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From inside the walls of an old prison on the outskirts of Mount Pleasant, the Southern Grace Distillery has made its mark with its legal, award-winning white corn whisky and bourbon. Currently, the popular distillery distributes to 13 states, plus its first foreign city, Hanoi, Vietnam. It has even gained national and international notice for many of its brands, which include Sun Dog 130 Small Batch (a gold medal winner at the San Diego International Spirits Competition and at The Fifty Best in New York City); Sun Dog Pink Lemonade (Spirited Lemonade of the Year at the Berlin International Spirits Competition and a platinum winner at the SIP awards); Sun Dog Apple Dumplin’ (silver medal at the North American Bourbon and Whiskey Competition) and Zero Dark 130, which is a 100-proof variation of its recipe. Their first bourbon whiskey, named Conviction and released in 2017, took a gold medal at the Micro Liquor awards in California and earned top honors (Double Gold) at The Fifty Best competition in NYC.
The facility, now fondly called “Whiskey Prison,” has also gained recognition in national media outlets due to its notoriety as the first distillery in America founded in an actual former prison. The irony of its current use, when compared to its original purpose, was never lost on the late Leanne Powell, co-founder and president of this unique local facility, who passed away suddenly in July, 2019. The N.C. Cabarrus Correctional Center on Dutch Road was a minimum security prison founded in 1927. Although considered crude and sometimes cruel, when compared to today’s prison standards, the Mount Pleasant facility was built as a humane alternative to “chain gangs.”
Ghost Tours are Available at Whiskey Prison this Fall
Photo: Michael A. Anderson Photography
Photo: Michael A. Anderson Photography
Due to Prohibition in the 1920’s, as well as other laws enforced by the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms afterward, the prison likely housed numerous illegal moonshiners and bootleggers as part of its population. According to a CNN article, one of the well-known cases involved Redd Rowland, who was known in the 1950’s for owning a monkey that would do a trick and then tilt its little hat in hopes of a tip.
Rowland was also a known bootlegger, and the Cabarrus County sheriff eventually sent a squad to Rowland’s home to seize the “white lightning” and arrest its maker. The cops couldn’t locate the distillery, but arrested Rowland after his pet produced a handful of cash from a hiding place. Rowland convinced the judge that the cash was the monkey’s earnings, so he was not prosecuted for that instance.
Unfortunately for Rowland, he was arrested later for another offense, and tried before a less-agreeable judge, finally resulting in a conviction. Rowland did manage to take some comfort in being confined at the Cabarrus Correctional Center, which happened to be located across the street from where he lived.
For many years, between 200 and 400 inmates were housed at a time in the facility, which was only designed to accommodate about 250 prisoners. Due to the inadequate space and necessary maintenance upgrades, it was closed in 2011. In 2016, the distillery was lured to move its growing business from a derelict 100-year-old cotton mill in Concord to the prison in 2016, where it remains today.
Powell’s spirit is at peace now, but many of the former prisoners of the N.C. Cabarrus Correctional Center are not. In the cooler evenings, tourists can now visit the Whiskey Prison for an After Dark Tour. Visitors are escorted through buildings and grounds of the nearly 90-year-old prison as the tour guide relates the stories of the prison’s past residents, some of whom never left.
The antiquated “Hot Box” method of severe punishment is now outlawed, but was a small building where up to two prisoners could be housed for up to 60 days. Even on hot summer days, a fire would burn in a hearth to cause profuse sweating. The prisoners were not allowed to leave the building until their punishment was concluded. It’s not difficult to fathom how a prisoner would become so desperate to escape that they would attack the guard to do so. In one case, a guard was overpowered and shot through his abdomen by a prisoner during such an attempt. A dent where the bullet hit, after passing through the guard’s body, is still clearly evident in the door.
According to Emily Burkhardt, the Director of Tourism for Southern Grace Distilleries, several inmates met violent ends while incarcerated at the facility, either by suicide or other methods. One prisoner hung himself in solitary confinement cell #4, and whose spirit is believed to have been heard by several visitors and employees. Another was murdered in the bathroom of the largest campus housing building, which is currently used for barrel storage. Several others could have simply died from natural causes. Many of their stories may not be known, but there is no doubt that some of them still haunt the prison.
During a private investigation by First in Fright Paranormal, Ryan Burleson, founder of the group, stated the most spiritually active area they encountered was around the solitary confinement prison cells, an area still on display for tours. The 16-member paranormal research team, who traveled from Hickory, N.C., captured several ghostly voices through their PSB-7 ITC Research Device, which was designed by Gary Galka of DAS for such a purpose. In one interesting occurrence, a team member, Melany Dawn Adams, was walking away from the jail cells when the voices are purported to have called her back.
An abandoned guard post keeps watch over the spirits still trapped in Whiskey Prison
Burleson also stated there was activity captured while using an SLS (Structured Light Sensor) camera. This unique device has an infrared light projector with a monochrome CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor that shows everything as dots arranged in 3-D formation. The dots are translated by special software that “sees” people by recognizing joints and movements. The Infrared (IR) camera can detect paranormal entities, which the program recognizes as a human shape, based on the body parts and joints. According to Burleson, the SLS camera detected both adult and child-sized entities in the Whiskey Prison Gift Shop, which were witnessed by several members of the team.
In one of two videos of the paranormal investigation, a deep, male voice clearly says, “Be Careful,” while the team was investigating that area of the building. Several other voices could be heard numerous times, including that of a female. Although no one knows the identity of the woman, a female voice has been heard frequently by paranormal investigators and employees.
Although some do not claim to have heard anything unusual on their After Dark Tour, there is no doubt others have. Still intrigued by the location, Burleson states that the paranormal team will likely return for a future investigation. Many believe the spirits of the Whiskey Prison still roam its halls, seeking peace and freedom.
For more information about the After Dark Tours, Behind Bars Tours, group tours, whiskey tastings, promotional items and distilled products, go to the Whiskey Prison website at southerngracedistilleries. com, or call (704) 622-6413.
For additional information about First in Fright Paranormal, you can find them via their Facebook page of the same name, or contact them directly via firstinfrightparanormal@gmail.com.
Powell (Left) was loved by many in the Cabarrus Community, including Donna Carpenter (right), CEO of the Cabarrus County CVB.
Photo Courtesy: Drew Arrowood
Remembering Leanne Powell
At a great loss to Cabarrus County, Leanne Powell passed away after suffering a stroke at only 51 years old, on Saturday, July 20, 2019. I witnessed her ashes being carefully spread over a beautiful tiered, flower garden at the end of her funeral service at the Whiskey Prison. My mind kept returning to our “band camp days” and Friday night football games for Central Cabarrus High School, when Leanne would play her piccolo and I would twirl my flags with the band’s music, so many years ago. It is still so hard to believe she is gone. Anyone who knew her will continue to miss her bubbly personality and beautiful smile.
Just prior to her death, Powell’s husband, Drew Arrowood, accepted the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award on her behalf from Governor Roy Cooper, for her contributions to the state. It is the highest award presented to civilians in North Carolina. Powell was aware of earning the award prior to her stroke, and was originally scheduled to accept it personally during a Whiskey Prison visit by the governor. In September, the NC Travel Industry Association awarded Southern Grace Distillery as the NC Visitor Attraction of the Year, and the Cabarrus Regional Chamber of Commerce named Powell as the Honorary Chair of this year’s “Women in Business” Conference, which took place last month.
Some people may not know that Powell spent 27 years in Washington on Capitol Hill, the White House and in the Department of Agriculture. Due to her long and outstanding political career, she was honored by being mentioned in the Daily Digest of The Congressional Record after her death. The Daily Digest is the official record of the debates and proceedings of the U.S. Congress.
As much as she achieved in D.C., Powell’s heart always belonged to her hometown and community. During an interview with CNN in January, 2018, Powell stated, “I had always worked for folks who wanted to bring back jobs and revitalize our rural communities, and now I’m putting it into practice…Bourbon is one of the few things that by law can only be made in the USA. The jobs we are creating will never be shipped overseas.”
Powell is greatly missed by many, and a testament to how one person can make such a big impact in a community. She may be no longer with us, but her impact will be felt in this region and beyond for generations to come.
