Smith Barn
About this property
The Smith Tobacco Barn is a flue-cured tobacco barn in Dillon County, South Carolina. It is on the east side of a dirt road, 0.25 mi (0.4 km) south of South Carolina State Highway 17–34, 0.5 mi (0.8 km) north of South Carolina State Highway 17–155, and about 1 mi (1.6 km) east of the intersection of South Carolina State Highway 17-22 and South Carolina State Highway 155. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places on December 4, 1984. Bright tobacco was introduced in South Carolina in the 1880s and 1890s. This grows well in the sandy, loamy soils of the Pee Dee and is flue-cured. The traditional barns had one or two fireboxes using wood or coal. In the 1950s, many barns were changed to gas or oil heat for better temperature regulation. Tobacco leaves were strung onto tobacco poles that were laid across horizontal tier poles in the barn. There were three drying stages. The first stage at 95 °F (35 °C) to 110 °F (43 °C) yellowed the leaves. In the second stage, the temperature was raised to 130 °F (54 °C) to 135 °F (57 °C) to dry the leaves. The final stage was at 160 °F (71 °C) to 170 °F (77 °C) to dry the stems. The barn is rectangular with a metal gable roof and a brick foundation. The walls up to the eaves are sawn timber. The timbers are notched at the corners and have mortar chinking. The gable ends are covered with horizontal weatherboarding. There are small rectangular doors in the gables that can be opened for ventilation. On the south and east sides, there are metal shed roofs supported by posts. These sheds provided shade for stringing leaves. The east and west sides have small doors at ground level. The name "J. L. King" and the date "1942" are scratched into the chinking. The barn was divided into five "rooms" or "bents" by wooden tier poles. On the south end, there is a brick, double-arched firebox that has been bricked in. As can be seen in other photographs, the fuel was later changed to gas. At the time of its nomination, it was said to be no longer used as a tobacco barn, but was considered the most intact tobacco barn in Dillon and Marion counties built between 1895 and the 1950s. It was also described as an "extremely fragile resource." Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. SC-594, "Smith Tobacco Barn, 1/4 mile south of Secondary Road 17-34 & 1/2 mile north of Highway 17-155, Dillon, Dillon County, SC", 11 photos, 1 color transparency, 3 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Smith Barn
This page lists Smith Barn. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Nearby Battles
Questions about this property
When was Smith Barn listed on the National Register?
Smith Barn was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 4, 1984.
What type of historic resource is Smith Barn?
Smith Barn is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Smith Barn?
The period of significance for Smith Barn is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Smith Barn?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Smith Barn will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Dillon County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Dillon County.
Explore DillonCounty ›More historic places in South Carolina
Browse all historic places in South Carolina.
View South Carolinahistoric sites ›South Carolina history
Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.
South Carolinahistory ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Smith Barn will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.