The name of our business is a tribute to Buffalo City, a community with a long history of logging and moonshining once nestled in East Lake Township 19 miles west of Manns Harbor. Now, it’s part of the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, but it wasn’t always so. From the 1870s to the 1950s, Buffalo City was a bustling one, hitting a population of 3,000 featuring a general store, post office, school house and railroad – much like any small town of its kind. What sets Buffalo City apart from the rest, however, is that this now-ghost town was home to the biggest moonshining operation in the region.
Prohibition in the 20s sent citizens of Buffalo City scrambling to make more money in any way they could, and that was through the making of illegal moonshine. Added to this stress was the fact that the logging camps that were such a big source of revenue for residents closed up shop at about the same time. It seems nearly every family throughout the city had a still, selling their moonshine to Speakeasies throughout the country. Crafted deep in the cover of the woods, the moonshine was transported via mules and boats. The hey-day didn’t last long, though, as the government investigated and sent many men to jail.
To find out more about Buffalo City and it residents, check out Suzanne Tate's Logs & Moonshine: Tales of Buffalo City, N.C, available on Amazon and at local book stores.
The ending of Prohibition coupled with the loss in moonshine revenue sent Buffalo City into a downward tailspin. Even though the community tried to get back into the logging industry, their efforts eventually failed and the town was virtually abandoned in the 1950s. Now nothing but marshland, this ghost town is just that – a memory of the past, albeit a crucial stop along America’s history timeline. A time when people took matters into their own hands and became entrepreneurs through necessity. We take that entrepreneurial spirit and put a twist on it, offering our customers a throw-back look at this once-thriving community.
Today, Buffalo City Jug Shop aims to capture the nostalgia of 1920s-America with a tribute to moonshine production and how it worked into the fabric of daily life in these parts. This forgotten example of history gets a reboot with Buffalo City Jug Shop, only now with 24 craft beers on tap and to-go growler service.
Welcome to the first Outer Banks growler filling station with 24 beers on tap! Buffalo City Jug Shop is proud to offer a large selection of craft bottle beer and wine to Nags Head residents and visitors. Established in August 2015, Buffalo City Jug Shop was founded by Morgan Myshin and is conveniently located at Milepost 13 in Nags Head. Our business is a unique one and it all starts with the name.
Stop by today to share some history and make new memories with us! We’re now open and ready to have some fun, so give us a call at 252-255-2347 to learn more.
