Scottdale man marks site of distillery

SCOTTDALE - Bill Pritts of Scottdale heard many stories from his father as he grew up. What made these stories special was their subject: Pritt's great-grandfather, "Old Bill Pritts" who ran the Bill Pritts Distilling Co. in Saltlick Township.

The stories tell how Old Bill Pritts (1836-1922) turned his fame as a "moonshiner" into a successful business in a registered distillery in Neal's Run. A number of backers joined to finance the project, counting on Old Bill's reputation and renowned recipe to bring a profit, labeling the whiskey "Old Bill Pritts Mt. Dew."

Pritts' father, "Navy" Bill Pritts, had helped in the distillery as a boy and knew the legendary mountaineer. Pritts says many tales still circulate about Old Bill, but he believes the stories he heard from his father, "the kid who swept the floor" of the distillery.

For some time, Pritts, an accomplished stonemason, thought about building a monument at the distillery site to ensure this bit of history would not be forgotten. A visit from another descendent of Old Bill this spring prompted Pritts to take action on the project this year.

"I've always wanted to do this before I retired," says Pritts. "I just decided that the time was right."

Pritts soon discovered that the most difficult part of the project would not be the physically demanding stonework, but rather the investigation into the distillery's history, especially the dates of operation.

He began his search at West Overton Museums, which has the distillery's sign on display. The museums' director, Rod Sturtz, helped Pritts find a number of papers regarding the distillery in West Overton's archives.

Pritts also searched records at Fayette, Westmoreland and Somerset counties, and Pritts' wife, Jackie, and his daughter, Michelle, searched the Internet. For all the efforts, however, Pritts could not find the dates the distillery began and ended operations.

He took his search to Seven Springs Resort, which borders the site of the distillery. By chance, the receptionist there said her aunt, Mary Faust, along with Albert Pritts, also descendants of Old Bill, had been working on a book of the Pritts' family history and would be able to provide the information he needed.

From the book, Pritts finally discovered that the distillery began operation in 1903 and ended whiskey production in 1919 with Prohibition.

Pritts worked with Saltlick Township Supervisors, who granted permission for the monument and provided a location for it on their right-of-way outside of Laurel Ridge State Park, just across from the spring that feeds Indian Creek and once provided the water for the distillery.

Pritts began the project in May and worked through the summer with his brothers, Bob and Larry Pritts. The engraving on the monument identifies these builders not by name, but as "the Sons of 'Navy' Bill Pritts."

Pritts acquired stone from an old foundation in Latrobe for the monument, and used three stones from the distillery's foundation in the monument's faces.

Pritts cut the stones and carefully planned the monument's design in advance so he carried only what was needed of the approximately 4-ton project on each his trips to the site.

The 300-pound capstone was set in August, completing the project that Pritts says is "built to last."

Saltlick Township Supervisor Rick Gales says the monument is likely to be a stopping point for tourists and mountain bikers.

Gales is pleased with the monument and the reminder of Saltlick Township's history. "It's something that happened to build up the township. It's a part of the township's history, along with the old logging camps."

"Modern society is aware of the connotation of whiskey," explains Sturtz. "But in the 19th century, whiskey was an important part of farming, an important part of life. It was a staple of farm life."

Distillery's like Old Bill's and the distillery at West Overton were important to local economies.

Pritts says Old Bill's distillery used local grain and employed 25 people, and the distillery was a customer of the railroad that ran through Indian Head.

Now that the monument to this part of Saltlick Township history is complete, Pritts is planning to continue his research about Old Bill and the distillery. He would like to collect more stories such as those of Dave Shepler Sr. who allowed the Pritts family to record his recollections of the era.

Pritts would also like to work to have the distillery site registered as an historic landmark.