This is a Memory: Growing Up in North Carolina Tobacco

In September, Duke Homestead hosted the site's annual Harvest and Hornworm Festival. There volunteers demonstrated harvesting and curing tobacco. As one of North Carolina's major cash crops, life on a tobacco farm is a part of our state's cultural history. Here, women who grew up on tobacco farms in North Carolina share their memories of looping (or tying) tobacco during harvesting season.

[@ladydell249able]

This is exactly what I did every summer at my grandparents farm, in Littleton, NC, at harvest time. Crazy me I loved every minute of it. My Grandfather, Dad, uncles and other family member men worked in the field chopping the 'Bacca". The young children, the boys and girls and some of the women worked the table handing bunches of the leaves to the fast young women and older girls (Wrappers) to tie them onto the poles. Man were they fast!! They's snatch and wrap in a flash. That part of the process (wrapping), Chopping (Men's work) and actually putting the sticks in the barn were the only things I didn't get to do because of my gender and age. I did get to "hand" (give the bunches of leaves to the wrappers), Pile up the wrapped sticks to go into the barn, and lastly to relay those sticks to the men and boys when they were putting them into the barn. We worked from Sunup to Sundown.

[@jeepman8842]

People now days would call that "child endangerment" kids working from sun up to sun down. I never worked int the fields like your self but my grandfather and father and every one before them made a living growing tobacco , that was before my time. I have heard the stories good and bad so i really enjoy seeing how its done. And have great respect for any one who put in those long days. I have heard my aunts and uncles tell the stories of the hot sun on their backs to the thunder clouds coming over the fields and every one would gather up under the barn and wait it out. Any way neat to watch.

[@jeepman8842]

Cool video my fathers family grew and sold tobacco in green sea South carolina and had a auction ware house in Tabor City NC. It operated from the 70s untill maybe 2000. I remember the smell of the cured tobacco in the ware house . Its was cool as a little boy to look out over the floor and see thousands of tobacco sheets filled from one side to the other. And the aroma of it all was great. Its a shame this is a time gone by. Never worked in the feilds that was before my time so its very intersting to me to watch these videos. Thanks to who ever posted this .

[@DukeHomestead]

Glad you enjoyed it! Be sure to join us for our annual Harvest & Hornworm festival next year if you'd like to see more of this in person, or try it out for yourself!

[@amirseltan3203]

Please find this product I am looking for

[@ellismidkiff6117]

My great aunt had poliovirus and she was a super fast at this when the tying machine broke. I only really helped them when we were there. My dad did it his whole childhood.

[@joytee6420]

great

[@garybarnett5026]

I remember seeing my mama and our neighbor doing it

[@rashidmahboob3953]

wow

[@jovanlucasquoos]

Uao😮 meus avós faziam essa prática

[@hannahbarnes27]

Anybody know where to buy pure tobacco leaves in North Carolina?

[@ramsingh3152]

🙏🙏♥️

[@user-co9pk4jo5p]

Your location please

[@MrFineboy]

what type of tobacco is this?

[@amirseltan3203]

Please find this product I am looking for

[@derrickwhite9625]

They can strang.

[@user-co9pk4jo5p]

Please I need some tobacco leave, like 1kg

[@ismailkhanikamz6841]

we have best quality tobacco in pakistan 🇵🇰 too. we are cultivated every year