Aromatic Tobacco Sales Debuted in Williamsburg County Sixty-Seven Years Ago This Week

Sixty-seven years ago tomorrow, a handful of farmers from throughout the Pee Dee gathered on Marion Few's farm near Nesmith for a momentous occasion–the first sale of Turkish, or aromatic, tobacco grown in this part of South Carolina.

W.W. McCullough of Indiantown standing in his barn specially equipped to handle

the smaller leaves of aromatic tobacco.

The "warehouse" for this sale was an outbuilding on the Few farm. Marion Few's brother, Joe, was president of the Southeastern Aromatic Tobacco Company of Anderson. While there had been a fairly active aromatic market near Saluda and in some other parts of the Piedmont, 1955 was the first time Pee Dee farmers had grown the smaller-leaved tobacco. Seven farmers participated in that first sale They were Marion L. Few, Kingstree: K.N. Huggins, Johnsonville; A.D. Lee, Scranton; Alex Kelley, Olanta; T.S. Ragsdale, Jr., Lake City; and W.W. McCullough, Indiantown. It should be noted that Alex Kelley was 16 years old in 1955.

According to an article written by Ann McIntosh, and published in the July 28, 1955, issue of the News & Courier, some 10,000 to 12,000 pounds were sold that day. It had been pressed into bales of 20 to 35 pounds each which sold for as much as $1.35 1/2 a pound, although the average was around $1 a pound. Tobacco specialists from Clemson Extension were also present at the sale. 

The leaves of Turkish, or aromatic, tobacco are much smaller

than those of the regular flue-cured tobacco best known in this area.

The aromatic market was still around in 1958, warranting a full page of coverage in the News & Courier on August 3. It was described as a "quick crop" that was a good source of extra income for farmers, although finding labor was enough of a problem to keep many farmers out of the aromatic market. It was considered a quick crop because seedlings were planted usually the last week of March or first week of April, with harvesting completed by mid-June. Some local farmers used their regular flue-cured barns for the earlier aromatic tobacco, but others constructed a special barn with swinging doors at each end. At night, they used a flue-curing method to keep warm air circulating through the drying leaves, but during the day the doors were propped open, allowing the crop to air cure.

The first aromatic tobacco in South Carolina was grown in 1941 at the Pee Dee Experiment Station between Florence and Darlington.

By 1958, South Carolina had become the largest domestic producer of aromatic tobacco, with about 150,000 pounds sold each year. Williamsburg County led the eastern part of the state with five growers. Prices in 1958 had fallen some from 1955, but were averaging 89.5 cents per pound, far above flue-cured's top prices. 

An Ordinary July

It seems that when many of us think of "history," we envision the big moments, the turning points, the events that everyone who was alive at the moment will remember for the rest of their lives. But sometimes it's worth looking at the everyday, ordinary events that, in their own way, shape the life of a community. So, today, we are going to look at Kingstree and the ordinary moments of July 1927.

A photo of an older M.H. Jacobs, who announced his run for mayor in July 1927.

There was no community celebration planned for the Fourth of July, although the Kingstree baseball team was scheduled to travel to Lake City to play a morning game. Rain, however, canceled the game. The day was remembered instead as a day of tragedy for the family of 30-year-old Melvin Tisdale. Tisdale, one of Kingstree's Black residents employed at L.D. Rodgers' livery stable, drowned in Black River at Boswell Beach while attending a church picnic. It took officials two hours to recover his body from the river.

Just down the road from Boswell Beach, the new "Lower Bridge" would open shortly after July 4. It was described as a "beautiful iron structure, replacing an unsafe wooden bridge." The paving of the Atlantic Coastal Highway from Kingstree to the Santee River was also in full swing. The first concrete had been poured at Heineman, three miles on the Williamsburg side of the Santee bridge. Motorists going to Charleston from Kingstree would now be detoured over the new Lower Bridge, "via Lanes, coming into the Charleston Highway by way of the Georgetown Highway."

The Town of Kingstree was gearing up for a municipal election. Friends of M.H. Jacobs announced his candidacy for mayor. The Charleston Evening Post noted, "Mr. Jacobs is one of Kingstree's most highly respected citizens and has been identified with this community all his life, having proved himself public spirited in a substantial way." J.W. Davis, a local pharmacist, had also thrown his hat in the ring for the mayor's position. Incumbent Mayor William R. Scott had not yet filed to defend his position.

In those days, residents of small towns amused themselves by entertaining their friends and neighbors. Kingstree was no exception. In July, Serena Lee Reynolds, who now lived in Tampa, FL, was visiting her parents LeRoy and Eva Lee. Mrs. Lee invited a number of her daughter's old friends to an afternoon of bridge at her home on Academy Street. Six tables were arranged in the living room. The rose color scheme "brought out by the draperies...was further emphasized with bowls and wall vases of zinnias and gladioli." Fruit salad and refreshing lemonade were served during the afternoon.

Mrs. J.C. Kelley also entertained, honoring her guests from Hartsville. She decorated with shasta daisies to enhance her yellow and white color scheme. 

Shasta Daisy

Barbara Nexsen hosted the Weekly Bridge Club in early July, with Mrs. W.L. Norwood and Louisa McCutchen hosting on subsequent weeks.

Toward the end of the month, Sarah Rigby hosted an afternoon of bridge at her home. "The living rooms were brightened with a profusion of yellow daisies which gave the keynote of the color scheme. After the games a salad course was served, a mould of the dainty concoction being placed on each table with a yellow daisy surmounting each mould. 

The Girls Circle of the Presbyterian Church met on Wednesday afternoons. In mid-July, Elizabeth "Bet" Montgomery served as teacher for the afternoon Bible lesson. At the conclusion of the meeting, those attending enjoyed cake and iced tea.

The Columbia College Club also met in July, where members heard about the little theatre movement from Jennie Lee Epps, using the Columbia Town Theatre as her example.

Young people also entertained frequently in those days. Margaret Florence Kelley entertained about 50 of the town's young people at the home of her grandmother, Mrs. C.F. Kelley. Mary Frances Montgomery also hosted the younger set at her home during the month.

Flinn Gilland

During the month Flinn Gilland served as chauffeur for Mrs. L.S. Weinberg and Mrs. A.C. Hinds, driving them to Florence for a day trip.

Lena Whittle of Blacksburg, SC, who had taught at the high school in Kingstree for the past two years, married Richard Smart of Manchester, TN. The people of Kingstree offered their sincerest good wishes for her new life in Tennessee.

Charles Hilliard, whom The Charleston Evening Post noted was no stranger to Kingstree was in town that month, directing a play to be performed at the school auditorium. The paper also noted, "Contrary to reports, Mr. Hilliard was not drowned in the Florida storm, but is very much alive and will himself take one or two roles in the entertainment Tuesday evening.

"Mrs. Strauss and her sister, Mrs. Hill, arrived in Kingstree recently from St. Louis, having motored the distance and visiting en route in Washington, Richmond and Wilmington, the entire length of their drive having been about two thousand miles. Mrs. Strauss has come to join her husband, who is manager of the Pearlstine Grocery Company here and will make her home in Kingstree. Mrs. Hill will remain for a visit at her sister's home. Mr. and Mrs. Strauss are occupying the bungalow which was formerly the home of Dr. and Mrs. R.W. Sease."

In late July, Kingstree and its electric power transmission system was tied in to Carolina Power & Light's hydro-electric system in Sumter. According to the News & Courier, this opened up many possibilities for the future of Williamsburg County. It was now possible, the paper said, for this area to receive power from Niagara Falls and from the Boston-Chicago lines. Kingstree's existing diesel station would now be a reserve power source ensuring uninterrupted service for the community.

John S. Brown, Jr., in the early 1930s.

July 1927 was not a random choice for this post. There was another event in Kingstree that July that has special meaning to me. On July 7, a baby boy was born to Pearl Altman and John Samuel Brown. That little boy grew up to become my father, and it was largely through his tales of growing up in Kingstree in the 1930s and '40s that my interest in the everyday, ordinary history of the area was sparked.