Old Tobacco Barn Photograph by Carla Parris

Old Tobacco Barn

by Carla Parris

Canvas Print

$47

Framed Print

$74

Art Print

$23

Poster

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Metal Print

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Acrylic Print

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Wood Print

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Tapestry

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Throw Pillow

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Fleece Blanket

$51

Duvet Cover

$100

Shower Curtain

$68

Bath Towel

$33

Jigsaw Puzzle

$39

Tote Bag

$26

Weekender Tote Bag

$44

Zip Pouch

$24

Portable Battery Charger

$47

Yoga Mat

$60

Greeting Card

$5.95

Spiral Notebook

$16

iPhone Case

$27

Beach Towel

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Round Beach Towel

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Weekender Tote Bag

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Coffee Mug

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Men's Clothing

$27

Women's Clothing

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Youth Clothing

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Toddler Clothing

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Baby Clothing

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Title

Old Tobacco Barn

Artist

Carla Parris

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

OLD TOBACCO BARN is a textured, vintage photograph by Carla Parris.

This abandoned tobacco barn was photographed on a country road on the outskirts of Havana, Florida, near Tallahassee.

Barns such as this were used when shade tobacco was grown in northwest Florida. Gadsden County was the hub of this activity, with 6,000 acres where this lucrative crop was grown.

After being grown under slats or cheesecloth (hence the name shade tobacco), the premium leaves of shade tobacco plants were cured and dried in these barns.

According to my father, who actually worked in these barns as a child, assisting in the family's farming business, the leaves came into the barns on mule drawn carts. There was a long table running the length of the barn where there were about 30 stations where workers, generally women, would string the leaves, using a large needle which would be inserted into the stems of the leaves. The stringers would hand sew 32 leaves together and secure them onto sticks which were over 4 feet long. These sticks were then hung in the barn.

There were multiple layers, vertically, of wooden pieces running the width of the barn creating 4 foot areas between which the sticks would be hung. The strung sticks would be taken from the stringers to someone called a pusher, usually an adult man, who would lift the sticks, with the leaves, to the first of the workers called hangers, usually younger men, positioned higher in the barn. The hangers would climb up using the boards running the width of the barn. At one point, there would be four hangers working above the pusher, although during the war this was cut down to three.

Working from the top down, the sticks would be carefully hung between the sticks. By working from the top, where the hangers would seek to do their work in the coolest part of the day, the subsequent layers of hanging could be done under hung leaves, and lower in the barn, during the hotter parts of the day. This was important because this arduous work was done in barns which often reached 120 to 130 degrees in the hot, humid summer.

The leaves cured, and dried, in the barns for about a month. The windows were opened, and fires were lit, to aid in the process. If there were heavy winds, the windows would have to be closed. The barns needed to be manned constantly, to watch the winds, and to monitor the fires which, if they got out of control, could burn a barn and its precious contents in about 45 minutes.

After curing, the leaves were taken to packing houses, and from there, to producers of cigars. Often, the cigar producers loaned the farmers the money to plant and grow the crops.

The shade tobacco industry has long since left northwest Florida, primarily because of labor laws and wage requirements making it impossible for local growers to compete internationally in this extremely labor intensive endeavor.

However, the abandoned barns which remain are a lovely sight in rural landscapes, and a nostalgic reminder of days gone by.

This image has been textured to give the overall piece a vintage look and feel.