This tobacco barn, located in Guilford County, is about the polar opposite of yesterday’s Summit Avenue mansion. However, don’t be fooled, this humble structure has a big role in North Carolina’s history. Tobacco was first introduced to North Carolina when the early settlers from Virginia were looking for a crop that would grow in the poor soil of the sandhills and would be marketable in Europe.  North Carolina ranks first in the US with respect to tobacco production and every step of the process from leaves in fields to the finished pack can be found in our state. The 2006, annual farm income for tobacco was $506.2 million (reference). UNC–TV has a fabulous timeline on the history of tobacco in North Carolina (here).

Today’s photo represents the farming end of the cigarette industry. Historically, tobacco farming was a whole-community effort. When the tobacco was ready, it was not uncommon for children to unload the sleds of tobacco pulled in by the mules & tractors. Men, including young adults, primed the tobacco and hung it in the barns. Often it was the women who tied tobacco to sticks. Basically, everyone chipped in to get the tobacco ready.

North Carolina has a love-hate relationship with the product. As much as tobacco contributes to our place in the global economy, we know how bad it is for one’s health and can only hope that our friends and loved ones don’t partake. Previously, we featured the farm end here and the manufacturing end here.