Did You Know... Holly Hill

Did you know the City of Holly Hill is the home of the "Real McCoy"? Captain Bill McCoy owned a boatworks in Holly Hill until changing to a more profitable enterprise in 1920 - that of a Prohibition rumrunner. McCoy, the legendary "King of Rum Row," sailed his schooner under three sets of papers - the British-registered "Tomoka," the French-registered "Marie Celeste," and the American-registered "Arethusa" - and simply repainted the name on the stern as needed. He claims to have landed more than 170,000 cases of whiskey during his four-year career. Known for honest dealings and good liquor, Captain McCoy's whiskey was dubbed "the Real McCoy." Reprinted from Quality Cities January/February 2004 Back to City Trivia Home