Tobacco barn
Encyclopedia
The tobacco barn, a type of functionally classified barn
found in the United States
, was once an essential ingredient in the process of air-curing
tobacco
. In the 21st century they are fast disappearing from the American landscape in places where they were once ubiquitous. The barn
s have declined with the tobacco industry in general, and U.S. states such as Maryland
actively discourage tobacco farming. When the American tobacco industry
was at its height, tobacco barns were found everywhere the crop was grown. Tobacco barns were as unique as each area in which they were erected, and there is no one design that can be described as a tobacco barn.
d roofs, frame construction, and some system of ventilation
. The venting can appear in different incarnations but commonly hinges would be attached to some of the cladding
boards, so that they could be opened. Often the venting system would be more elaborate, including a roof ventilation system. In addition, tobacco barns do cross over into other barn styles of their day. Some common types of barn designs integrated into tobacco barns include, English barn
s and bank barn
s.
Each farmer
has his favorite venting systems that are built not only for the winds but for efficiency. Right after the tobacco
is hung, the vents are opened during the day in an effort to begin the important process of shedding water from the tobacco known as the curing of tobacco
. Tobacco is often cured at specific temperatures and humidities, depending on where the tobacco is being cured, and also what the finished tobacco leaf is supposed to taste like. Cigar companies each have their own curing "recipes." Each leaf loses approximately eighty percent of its own weight by the time the curing process has successfully finished. In the first two weeks of the curing process, about an acre
of hanging tobacco loses about five tons of water.
The vents are used to slow the drying process down which allows for a critical chemical break down to occur, turning the leaf
from green to yellow to brown. To maintain ideal curing temperatures over the course of the curing process, farmers not only rely on the vents but on heat. While charcoal fires have been replaced in many barns with propane
heaters, both methods help reduce moisture
. With all of the variables that can impact the curing process, it is no wonder that the unique design of the tobacco barn has remained constant as a time-tested method for drying tobacco.
The interior framing would be set up in bents up ten feet, but more often about four feet apart horizontally, so that laths (also called "tobacco sticks") with tobacco attached to them could be hung for drying. The tier poles were often supported by posts and cross beams, the space in between known as the "bents." The bents ranged in vertical spacing from 20 inches to five feet wide. The bent itself became an important earmarker in determining crop volume. Farmers would commonly refer to barn size in terms of bents and the rule of thumb was one bent will hang half an acre of tobacco. In some areas, bents were called "rooms," even though this just defined a narrow and tall division of the inside of the barn by the tier poles. In North Carolina, for instance, bents were called rooms, and a typical barn for curing flue cured tobacco was four rooms in size.
s in vented tobacco barns as they once did, farmers are increasingly curing tobacco on "scaffolds" in the fields. The 1805 Tracy's Landing Tobacco House No. 2
located at Tracy's Landing, Maryland, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1982.
Functionally classified barn
A functionally classified barn is a barn whose style is best classified by its function. Barns that do not fall into one of the broader categories of barn styles, such as English barns or crib barns, can best be classified by some combination of two factors, region and usage...
found in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, was once an essential ingredient in the process of air-curing
Curing (food preservation)
Curing refers to various food preservation and flavoring processes, especially of meat or fish, by the addition of a combination of salt, nitrates, nitrite or sugar. Many curing processes also involve smoking, the process of flavoring, or cooking...
tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
. In the 21st century they are fast disappearing from the American landscape in places where they were once ubiquitous. The barn
Barn
A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. It may sometimes be used to house livestock or to store farming vehicles and equipment...
s have declined with the tobacco industry in general, and U.S. states such as Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
actively discourage tobacco farming. When the American tobacco industry
Tobacco industry
The tobacco industry comprises those persons and companies engaged in the growth, preparation for sale, shipment, advertisement, and distribution of tobacco and tobacco-related products. It is a global industry; tobacco can grow in any warm, moist environment, which means it can be farmed on all...
was at its height, tobacco barns were found everywhere the crop was grown. Tobacco barns were as unique as each area in which they were erected, and there is no one design that can be described as a tobacco barn.
History
The terminology "tobacco barn" has been used to describe myriad structures in the United States. Buildings used for strictly tobacco curing, buildings that have multiple agricultural uses, and dilapidated barns, among others, have all been called tobacco barns at one time or another.Design
Though tobacco barn designs varied greatly there were elements that were found in many American tobacco barns. Design elements which were common to American tobacco barns include: gableGable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roofs, frame construction, and some system of ventilation
Ventilation (architecture)
Ventilating is the process of "changing" or replacing air in any space to provide high indoor air quality...
. The venting can appear in different incarnations but commonly hinges would be attached to some of the cladding
Cladding (construction)
Cladding is the application of one material over another to provide a skin or layer intended to control the infiltration of weather elements, or for aesthetic purposes....
boards, so that they could be opened. Often the venting system would be more elaborate, including a roof ventilation system. In addition, tobacco barns do cross over into other barn styles of their day. Some common types of barn designs integrated into tobacco barns include, English barn
English barn
The English barn, or three bay barn, is a barn style that was most popular in the northeast region of the United States. New barns in this style were constructed for over a century, from the 1770s through the 1900s.-Design:...
s and bank barn
Bank barn
A bank barn or banked barn is a style of barn noted for its accessibility, at ground level, on two separate levels. Often built into the side of a hill, or bank, both the upper and the lower floors area could be accessed from ground level, one area at the top of the hill and the other at the bottom...
s.
Each farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
has his favorite venting systems that are built not only for the winds but for efficiency. Right after the tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
is hung, the vents are opened during the day in an effort to begin the important process of shedding water from the tobacco known as the curing of tobacco
Curing of tobacco
After tobacco has been harvested, it is necessary to cure it before consumption.- History :Uncured tobacco was often eaten, used in enemas, or drunk as extracted juice. Tobacco contains naturally occurring nicotine which is highly lethal. One drop of pure nicotine can be fatal if consumed.Curing...
. Tobacco is often cured at specific temperatures and humidities, depending on where the tobacco is being cured, and also what the finished tobacco leaf is supposed to taste like. Cigar companies each have their own curing "recipes." Each leaf loses approximately eighty percent of its own weight by the time the curing process has successfully finished. In the first two weeks of the curing process, about an acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
of hanging tobacco loses about five tons of water.
The vents are used to slow the drying process down which allows for a critical chemical break down to occur, turning the leaf
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
from green to yellow to brown. To maintain ideal curing temperatures over the course of the curing process, farmers not only rely on the vents but on heat. While charcoal fires have been replaced in many barns with propane
Propane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
heaters, both methods help reduce moisture
Moisture
Humidity is the amount of moisture the air can hold before it rains. Moisture refers to the presence of a liquid, especially water, often in trace amounts...
. With all of the variables that can impact the curing process, it is no wonder that the unique design of the tobacco barn has remained constant as a time-tested method for drying tobacco.
The interior framing would be set up in bents up ten feet, but more often about four feet apart horizontally, so that laths (also called "tobacco sticks") with tobacco attached to them could be hung for drying. The tier poles were often supported by posts and cross beams, the space in between known as the "bents." The bents ranged in vertical spacing from 20 inches to five feet wide. The bent itself became an important earmarker in determining crop volume. Farmers would commonly refer to barn size in terms of bents and the rule of thumb was one bent will hang half an acre of tobacco. In some areas, bents were called "rooms," even though this just defined a narrow and tall division of the inside of the barn by the tier poles. In North Carolina, for instance, bents were called rooms, and a typical barn for curing flue cured tobacco was four rooms in size.
Current state
U.S. states, such as Maryland, have sponsored programs which discourage the cultivation of tobacco. In 2001 Maryland's state-sponsored program offered cash payments as buyouts to tobacco farmers. A majority of the farmers took the buyout, and hundreds of historic tobacco barns were rendered instantly obsolete. As tobacco barns disappear, farmers have been forced to change their methods for curing the crop. In Kentucky, instead of curing tobacco attached to lathLath
A lath is a thin, narrow strip of some straight-grained wood or other material, including metal or gypsum. A lattice, or lattice-work, is a criss-crossed or interlaced arrangement of laths, or the pattern made by such an arrangement...
s in vented tobacco barns as they once did, farmers are increasingly curing tobacco on "scaffolds" in the fields. The 1805 Tracy's Landing Tobacco House No. 2
Tracy's Landing Tobacco House No. 2
Tracy's Landing Tobacco House No. 2 is a historic tobacco barn at Tracy's Landing, Anne Arundel County, Maryland. It is a 24’3" by 45’2" heavy timber framed tobacco barn with a construction date of 1805...
located at Tracy's Landing, Maryland, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1982.
See also
- :Category:Agricultural buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places