Once they numbered in the thousands. But the distinctively-shaped tall tobacco barns of the Georgia coastal plain are just about all gone now, done in by progress and changing cultural trends.
Usually built of logs or planks, the tall, thin, traditional barns were adapted to a method of tobacco drying called flue-curing, invented way back in 1838. Flue-cured tobacco is dried at low heat without being exposed to smoke, a process that yields a mild, lemon-yellow-colored leaf called “bright,” which is popular for cigarettes.
A decline in the popularity of smoking, with a consequent reduction in tobacco growing made many of the barns redundant, and the development of computer-controlled curing sheds of insulated metal and plastic made all of them obsolete.
Left to themselves, the barns are falling down from disuse, neglect, and disrepair. Some have been damaged by hurricanes, and others have been leveled by fire. So whether you smoke or not, if you're in south or southeast Georgia, drive around and see a few of the old tobacco barns. They're a beautiful part of Georgia's historical landscape, and they won't be here forever.
Best of all, you don’t have to inhale to enjoy them.
The above is an excerpt from my limited edition book Georgia: A Backroads Portrait. Signed copies are available for $195. Email djphoto@vol.com.
Blog Note: I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings at alifeinphotography.blogspot.com. I'm trying to build up my readership, so if you're reading this on Facebook and like what I write, would you please consider sharing my posts?
(Photographs copyright David B. Jenkins 2020)
Soli Gloria Deo
To the glory of God alone
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