Uncle Joey

The Legend — Moonshiner Mahala “Big Haley” Mullins

Country folks, this is one of those stories worth keeping alive.

Mahala “Big Haley” Mullins wasn't a television moonshiner. She wasn't building a brand or chasing fame. She was part of an Appalachian way of life that existed generations before any of that.

Born in the 1800s and living in the mountains along the Tennessee-Virginia border, Mahala became legendary for making and selling moonshine from her mountain home. Authorities knew exactly who she was and reportedly came looking for her more than once. But arresting Big Haley proved to be another matter entirely.

Her story became part history, part folklore, and completely Appalachian.

But here's what matters beyond the legends.

Mahala was somebody's mother, grandmother, neighbor and kin.

And more than a century later, branches of families like hers are still scattered throughout these mountains. Some know every name on their family tree. Others may drive past an old family cemetery, cabin site or mountain road without realizing their own blood once worked that same ground.

That's heritage.

For our hillbilly and country crew, remembering people like Mahala isn't about pretending mountain life was easy. It wasn't. These people survived poverty, isolation, hard winters, government revenuers, loss and circumstances most of us can barely imagine today.

Yet they endured.

So here's to Big Haley, the old mountain families, and every descendant still carrying a little bit of that stubborn Appalachian determination.

Know where you came from. Tell the stories. Save the photographs. Ask the old folks questions while they're still here.

Because someday, we'll be the ancestors they're talking about.

Say it a little louder for those in the back .

Maybe one day OSU will spend some money on a good kicker …

I’m so glad football 🏈 is back!

Relaxing and enjoying some football. 🥃🏈