Home Finding AidsA Guide to Rockingham County Prohibition Records

A Guide to Rockingham County Prohibition Records

Collection Summary

Title	A Guide to Rockingham County Prohibition Records
Collection Reference Code	Pro
Inclusive Dates	1913-1934
Document Creator	Rockingham County Circuit Court
Extent	6.4 linear feet; 15 boxes
Bio/Historical Note	This collection consists of 6,379 documents from criminal cases regarding the enforcement of the state and national prohibition laws by the Rockingham County Circuit Court. On March 10, 1916, Virginia enacted statewide prohibition with an act of the General Assembly, commonly known as the “Mapp Act.” This act made it "unlawful to manufacture, transport, sell, keep or store for sale, offer, advertise, or expose for sale, give away, or dispense, or solicit in any way, or receive orders for or aid in procuring ardent spirits." This act was not written to prevent manufacture for consumption; it was intended to stimulate Virginia's temperance movement. After national prohibition went into effect in January 1920, with the ratification of the 18th Amendment...
Archival History	Prohibition in the United States was a nationwide movement to restrict the production, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages. It was rooted in social and political campaigns led by temperance organizations that sought to address concerns about public morality, health, and social order. At the state level, Virginia enacted its own statewide prohibition in 1916 through the “Mapp Act,” which prohibited the sale and distribution of ardent spirits while allowing personal consumption. Nationally, the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1919, and the Volstead Act, enacted in 1920, established federal prohibition, mandating the enforcement of alcohol restrictions across the country. The era of prohibition fundamentally reshaped social, economic, and legal practices in both urban and rural communities, creating a complex system of regulation and enforcement that persisted until the ratification of the Twenty-First Amendment in 1933.
Scope and Content	This collection comprises 6,379 documents related to 650 legal cases concerning the production, transportation, and ingestion of ardent spirits in Rockingham County, Virginia from 1913-1934. Typical case files include true bills, arrest warrants, judgments, affidavits, and jury decisions. Additional materials include liquor inventories for local businesses, applications to sell spirits, and reports of seized and destroyed stills. The collection highlights the enforcement of state and federal prohibition laws and provides evidence of the social and economic conditions surrounding alcohol production and consumption in early 20th century rural Virginia.
Subjects	Prohibition--History; Prohibition--Government policy--United States; Prohibition--United States--History--20th century; Prohibition--United States--History--20th century--Sources; Prohibition--Virginia--History
Processing Information	Processed by Craig Schaeffer, 2019; Updated by Megan Pullen, September 2025.
Conditions Governing Access	This work has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights.
Arrangement	The collection is arranged into five series: Series I: Criminal Cases; Series II: Affidavits for Ardent Spirits; Series III: Commercial Liquor Inventory Records; Series IV: Liquor License Applications; Series V: General Records.
Language	English
Additional Resources	Affidavits for Ardent Spirits Collection, JMU Library

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