by Allison Luthern, Architectural Survey Administrator
Tobacco barns are one of the most iconic and recognizable historic building types in Maryland. Because of the deep and abiding traditional techniques of tobacco cultivation in our state, these buildings have distinctive features and character – their sole purpose was to provide a space for tobacco leaves to be hung and cured. However, a recent project funded by MHT’s Historic Preservation Non-Capital Grant program has shown that there was more dynamism and creativity in the construction of tobacco barns than previously thought, often in response to contemporary economic and agricultural conditions.
Dr. Dennis Pogue of the University of Maryland, along with architectural historians Chris Bryan and David Weir, undertook an intensive-level survey to identify and document pre-1870 air-cured tobacco barns located in the five-county Southern Maryland region. The team began by reviewing documentation in the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties (MIHP); they determined that 155 pre-1870 tobacco barns had been included in our state’s inventory since 1961. They identified 13 additional pre-1870 barns that had never been included in the MIHP through discussions with community members and colleagues, bringing the total of known tobacco barns built before 1870 in Southern Maryland to 168. Sadly, only 74 of the 168 barns were determined to still be standing today. This project has demonstrated how highly endangered these important buildings are.
The project team was able to survey 53 early tobacco barns out of the 74 surviving examples; they were not able to access 21 of the barns by the completion of the project. The team produced MIHP forms for 14 barns and dimensioned plan and section drawings for 12 barns. Each barn was described according to the construction methods and materials. The surveyors filled out a schedule of the dimensions and character of the framing members and fasteners, and also sketched distinctive features such as joint details. They also recorded the character of the scaffolding installed to hang the tobacco.
With this new, large collection of data on early tobacco barns, it is now much clearer that the details of barn designs varied over time and space. Some of this change hinged on the decision of select Maryland farmers to turn away from tobacco, which was very labor-intensive, and instead cultivate less-labor intensive crops (primarily wheat). Although Southern Maryland remained a large producer of tobacco, this agricultural diversification starting around 1790 was enough to cause changes in farmers’ work schedule and competition for resources. It became extremely important for tobacco barns to be as efficient as possible in these changing economic conditions.
Farmer/builders experimented with new design and construction methods to increase efficiency of tobacco barns. The survey project demonstrated that the inclusion of shed-roofed extensions appears to have become a more common feature on barns beginning in the 1820s; these “sheds” provided more space to hang tobacco. Also, barns began to be constructed with interior access aisles extending from one side to the other so that wagons could be wheeled into the barn for ease of unloading and loading the tobacco leaves. There is even evidence of earlier barns being modified to achieve this access by cutting away thick sill plates at doorways. The project team also noted that the overall size of barns, measured in their footprint and the height of their walls, increased over the late 18th and early 19th centuries, resulting in up to twice as much tobacco leaf carrying capacity as previously. Perhaps in response to greater quantities of tobacco packed into these barns, this era also witnessed a shift to the use of vertical siding instead of overlapping horizontal siding to promote the proper ventilation required for the curing process. (Changes regarding ventilation continued outside of this project’s study period; around 1900 it became commonplace to use hinged, swinging boards as siding.)
Of course, these changes were only possible through the labor of enslaved people, who planted, tended, harvested, hung, and packed the tobacco. In many instances, it was enslaved laborers who constructed tobacco barns. Tobacco culture and enslavement were deeply intwined facets of life in Southern Maryland. The modifications to tobacco barns revealed through this intensive survey were likely successful in improving efficiency; after an 1840s decade plagued by sustained drought, the tobacco crop increased by almost 45% between 1850 and 1860. Simultaneously, the population of the enslaved in Southern Maryland actually declined by almost 2,000 individuals in the 1850s. “Population decline” means that enslavers sold enslaved people away from their families and homes, as these farmers operated under a policy of doing more with less. One interesting example is the Prince George’s County property known as Concord, which was owned by the Berry family, who held many people in bondage. The inventory of Zachariah Berry, Sr.’s estate in 1845 indicates that he enslaved 78 people, several of whom are listed as skilled carpenters. Thirteen years later in 1858, Berry’s grandson Thomas had a new tobacco barn constructed for the farm. The barn was massive in size, measuring approximately 50’ by 50,’ and soaring to a height of 50’ at the peak of the roof. While other factors are certainly at play, it is noteworthy that Thomas Berry enslaved far fewer people (13), despite his massive tobacco barn.
This project lead by Dr. Pogue shows the impact and potential of intensive-level architectural survey. It has the ability to uncover new insights, as well as pose questions for future avenues of inquiry and study. You can read the full report on MHT’s website.
