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From the earliest days of Abilene, Texas, city residents wrestled with the question of whether to allow alcohol - booze -- in the city limits. Abilene was quite "wet" in its first years. Then quite "dry" for several decades. Then openly "dry" but privately "wet." And then came Impact. The tiny town - if you could call it a town - was, no question about it, openly "wet," with two liquor stores catering to long lines of cars from neighboring Abilene. Eventually, Abilenians confronted the issue about openly drinking alcohol in the city with two bitterly-contested elections - in 1976 and 1978 - both sides quoting Scripture to bolster their argument:
Proverbs 20:1-- Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
1 Timothy 5:23 -- No longer drink water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.
The city's raging war with whiskey over the years was indeed a frequent ailment. But not the only one. Abilene historian Jay Moore explores this and fifteen other colorful hometown commotions, including:Moving the courthouse from Buffalo Gap to Abilene.
The only legal hanging in Abilene.
Prohibiting the Paramount Theatre from showing Sunday movies in the 1930s.
And, of course, the suggestive and hugely successful campaign stirred up by Myrtle in the '90s.
A native Abilenian, Jay Moore believes sharing local history strengthens our sense of community. His books include Abilene Daily, Abilene History In Plain Sight, Abilene A to Z, and Legacy: The Dodge Jones Family and Foundation. He co-authored Abilene Stories with Glenn Dromgoole and Joe Specht.
