Ab Crossland: Moonshine, Skunks, and a Fight Against the State

Most people don’t expect to hear about a moonshiner who lived with skunks—but in Canaan Valley, that’s exactly what you get with Albert Lewis “Ab” Crossland.

Ab was the ninth of ten children, born to Provey and George Crossland. Long before Canaan Valley became known for skiing and resorts, it was a quiet farming area—and the Crosslands were part of that life. Ab’s father, George, wasn’t just a farmer. He was known locally for making moonshine whiskey, and like a lot of family trades back then, that skill didn’t skip a generation. Ab learned it too.

In 1931, that knowledge got him into trouble. Police raided the area, and Ab was caught. His neighbor, Joe Heitz Jr., nearly got away—but Ab was the one who ended up in Elkins jail. That’s where things took a turn. Authorities offered Ab a deal: give up Joe, and he could walk free.

But when Joe came to see him, the conversation didn’t go the way you might expect. Instead of running, Joe begged Ab to take the sentence. In exchange, he promised something big—Ab could live on his land for the rest of his life. No rent. No payments. Nothing. Ab agreed.

He served his time, somewhere between 90 days and six months in federal prison. When he got out, Joe kept his word. He gave Ab a small cabin and left him to live there in peace. And that’s exactly what Ab did—for the next forty-three years.

He continued making moonshine, and locals came to know his product as some of the best around. But that’s not the only thing that made Ab stand out. Somehow, he managed to tame a family of wild skunks that lived near his cabin. Not chase them off. Not avoid them. Tame them. Between his moonshine and his skunks, Ab became something of a local legend.

But his story didn’t stay quiet forever. When Joe died in 1951, the land passed to his daughter, Ruby. Eventually, she sold it, and the state took ownership. Not long after, they tried to evict Ab—even going as far as getting a court order. For most people, that would’ve been the end of the story. Not for Ab.

After a long fight, he won. Against the odds, the court ruled in his favor, and he was allowed to stay on the land he had called home for decades. He lived there, in that same cabin, with his skunks, until he passed away in 1973. Today, Ab is buried in Canaan Valley State Park, next to his mother—but his story still sticks around. It’s the kind of story that sounds almost too strange to be real, yet it’s a piece of local history that hasn’t been forgotten.

There’s a lot more to his life than can fit here, but groups like the Friends of Blackwater have worked to preserve it. They’ve even put together a project and a video covering his court case. If you’re interested, you can find more on their heritage page under “Moonshine Memories.”