When I was covering Templeton Rye for Saveur Magazine, I found this pre-Prohibition Era grave. The headstone was used to store illicit whiskey. I’ve always wondered if the good Rev. Benard Al Schulte would have approved. (View other photos of Templeton, Iowa.) This was one of the more notorious whiskey distilling towns during Prohibition and was favored by Al Capone. Revenue agents scurried the town of 300, looking for any trace of distilling activity.

In modern day, however, Templeton is a strange town. I got the feeling they don’t much care for outsiders. Most people didn’t want to talk to me in fear I would report them to the police. Many locals still make their own illicit whiskey and watch cameramen like hawks. One local said the whole town was watching me. Damn media! Little did they know, I just wanted a taste.