Mahala's Cabin

Mahala Mullins' Cabin

Mahala Mullins was a Melungeon woman who lived on Newman's Ridge in Hancock County, Tennessee and she sold moonshine (Mountain Dew as it was referred to then) from her cabin (pictured above). She weighed over 600 lbs which made it difficult for local law enforcement to arrest her. It is said that Mahala would laugh at the police and tell them if they could get her out of the house they could take her away. The police would leave discouraged. Mahala continued to bootleg moonshine from her cabin until her death in 1898, she was 74. She was so large they had to make her bed into a casket and they also had to take out a wall to remove her body from the house. She gave birth to 20 living children. 

This was her obituary, including grammar and spelling errors, 

"Obituary of Mahaly Mullins was bornd (sic) March the 30 1824 deceast (sic) September the 10 x 1898 74 years 5 months and 10 days She profest (sic) faith in Christ a while before hur (sic) deth (sic) and called for Johney and Rubin to give ther (sic) hands that they wold (sic) meat (sic) hur (sic) in heven (sic). She told Stephen Gibson if she was never permitted to shake his hand in this world She would Shake hands with him on the other shore."

Here are a few pictures I took at the cabin. 

"Mahala's Jars"
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"Small Barrel"

"Newspaper Wall"
The newspapers had been adhered in many layers to the logs of the cabin for insulation. This particular cabin was lived in well into the mid 1900's. Just imagine all of the history that has hung on these walls.