1822 – 1906),[1] aka The Cherry Bounce King, was a nineteenth and early twentieth century moonshine producer who lived in Rutherford County, North Carolina.
Owens was born around 1822 in North Carolina, where he grew up without receiving any formal education, other than a few days of organized schooling.
Shortly after buying this first tract on Cherry Mountain, he married a local woman named Mary Ann Sweezey, paying the justice of the peace who oversaw their vows in brandy.
When he returned home to Cherry Mountain, he vowed never to pay the federal excise tax on distilled spirits which President Lincoln had reintroduced in 1862 to help fund the Union's war efforts.
[4] For a number of years, Owens hosted an annual celebration on the second Sunday of June that included as much food and cherry bounce as a person could consume for 25 cents.