While re-editing my Candler County images, I came across this tobacco barn. The photo was made in July 2012. I don’t know if the barn is still standing.
Tobacco Barn, Candler County
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Tag Archives: Georgia Tobacco Barns
Tobacco Barn, Tattnall County
The siding on this tobacco barn, hidden at the edge of the woods, suggests it was built near the end of the era of tobacco barns. Mechanical processing was prevalent by the 1970s, when interest in the crop began to wane significantly.
Tobacco Barn, Tattnall County
Over many years I’ve often found abandoned tobacco barns surrounded by trees and other vegetation. I nearly missed this one, it was so well-camouflaged.
Wright Farm Tobacco Barn, Long County
I made this photo in 2013 and thought the barn might be gone, but Eddie Roberson and wrote to say that it is still standing. And Beverly R. Armstrong noted, “It’s my Grandma Mrs Emma Lee Wright’s homestead property.” Also, I identified it as being in Tattnall County but instead it is northern Long County.
Tobacco Barn, Tattnall County
I was complaining about the heat the other day and my father reminded me of how hot it was working in the tobacco barns on the farm. He recalled that before the tobacco was flue-cured, someone had to be in the barn at night to tend the fire. And this was in the days before most people had air-conditioning to retreat to in their homes. The average rate of pay in the 1950s, for tobacco workers wouldn’t even get people out of the house today. Those who worked in the barns made $4/day, while field workers (croppers) made $5/day.
This photo dates to 2013.
Tobacco Barn, Ritch
Ritch is a community in southwestern Wayne County, centered around the historic Ritch Baptist Church. This is one of several tobacco barns I photographed there in 2010. I think some are gone, but this one may still be standing, minus the canopy roof.
Tobacco Barn, Irwin County
Another barn from deep in the archives, this one was photographed in 2010. I believe it collapsed a few years later, but cannot confirm at this time. It was located somewhere off Five Bridge Road and was notably larger than other tobacco barns I’ve documented in Irwin County.
Tobacco Barn, Irwin County
This photo dates to 2010; the barn is no longer standing.
Irwinville Farms Tobacco Barn, 1930s
This is the last of the Irwinville Farms locations I’ll be sharing for a while. I’m hoping to document more the next time I’m in the area. This one is located near Jeff Davis Park and is another good example of the quality construction of the Irwinville Farms project. I really wish all the surviving structures of the project could be added to the National Register of Historic Places, or at least recognized locally. The families that have maintained them for nearly 90 years obviously appreciate them and I am grateful for that.
Irwinville Farms Tobacco Barn, 1930s
This is one of my favorite Irwinville Farms barns. I don’t think all of the barns and houses were originally painted white, but in images from the project in the Library of Congress, many were. This may be one of just a couple that are still painted. These tobacco barns were built so well that there are still a few around today, nearly 90 years later. That’s amazing considering they were built to be used and they were given a lot of wear and tear in the labor intensive culture of tobacco harvesting.