Old Tobacco Barns: Update

[fishingtiger]

I grew up on the coast of SC and my family was heavily involved with both farming tobacco and the warehouse business. The tobacco business has pretty much died with the exception of a few large farmers but i have been on a mission to reclaim a lot of the wood from the old tobacco barns. Here are some pics from my trip home over Christmas. Currently working on an old packhouse that was built in the early 1900s. Prying out those old cut nails was not a lot of fun but the wood sure is going to look good when I build a cabin one day. Post any pics of old tobacco barns if you have em.

 

[Gary Mercer]

That looks like the Low Country for sure!
Where is that old pack house, it sure looks like some I have seen?
Gary

 

[fishingtiger]

That looks like the Low Country for sure!
Where is that old pack house, it sure looks like some I have seen?
Gary

outside of Mullins, SC. we have about 4-5 of these to keep me busy for the next few years.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

I girl I used to date's family had several hundred acres in middle GA that had been farming land since time immemorial. They tore town the old sharecropper (slave) cabins and piled up the wood. Her dad bought a planer and used some of the wood for flooring in his home and her's as well. It's all beautiful heart pine and there is a bunch more still there.

Good on you for saving this wood, it's a shame to see it burn or just sit there and rot. We won't see this kind of wood again.

 

[panfried0419]

I knew a fella who made hiking sticks out the hanging poles

 

[fishingtiger]

here are some more pictures of old barns at the farm. Walking through these things takes me back 30 years when the whole town would smell like tobacco for 3 months every summer.

 

[westcobbdog]

I just took around 8 pine boards off an old barn to build my friend a bookcase, man the nails are basically in concrete and the wood hard as nails after all these years.

 

[Miguel Cervantes]

Cool thread. I can't wait to see what you do with this reclaimed wood.

 

[fishingtiger]

I just took around 8 pine boards off an old barn to build my friend a bookcase, man the nails are basically in concrete and the wood hard as nails after all these years.

Yep. that sounds about right. It is amazing how hard this old wood is. You wouldnt be able to hammer a nail through some of it.

 

[Dixiesimpleman32]

cool

 

[The Longhunter]

Yep. that sounds about right. It is amazing how hard this old wood is. You wouldnt be able to hammer a nail through some of it.

Wait until you try to cross cut it -- better have a backup saw.

 

[shakey gizzard]

I grew up on the coast of SC and my family was heavily involved with both farming tobacco and the warehouse business. The tobacco business has pretty much died with the exception of a few large farmers but i have been on a mission to reclaim a lot of the wood from the old tobacco barns. Here are some pics from my trip home over Christmas. Currently working on an old packhouse that was built in the early 1900s. Prying out those old cut nails was not a lot of fun but the wood sure is going to look good when I build a cabin one day. Post any pics of old tobacco barns if you have em.

Your not throwing them nails away are you?

 

[fishingtiger]

Your not throwing them nails away are you?

Ha! Funny you asked. I started to throw them away and then realized that they could still be used and that is part of the history of the barn. I did start saving them.

 

[DawgMedic]

Very Nice... I want to get some old wood like that for one wall of our "cave"

 

[jfish]

Those type barns (wood fired) were used till like the late 40's. We had them too. Or my grandparents did, in the 60's my grandpa was the largest tobacco farmer in GA. Keep in mind this was early tobacco production but no one else did it. Powell manufacturing literally lived here in the late 60's to early 70's. Making adjustments to machinery. That was a fun time. In my lift time it was bulk barns. The stick barns were here but they didn't use them anymore. Those wood fired barns were special. Lots of them burnt. That wood will be fantastic planed and used on a wall. Have to tell you it will be hard! Those had brick fireplaces outside with flues that heated the inside of the barn. Sweat the tobacco first then start cooking it with more heat. It was work!

Gas firing was used after that till early 70. Then metal bulk barns came in. I need to have my butt whipped for all of the sticks I broke or burned. I would live to have them back now. There is a restaurant in adel that had some furniture built from them and I thought it was the coolest thing. Back to the wood, I wired a house sometime back that had similar wood in it for big $$$.

Good to see that stuff being used!!

 

[Seth carter]

There's a feq around here

 

[fishingtiger]

Update:
We were planning on takign the whole barn down over Thanksgiving but a noreaster off the S. Carolina coast brought way to much rain during the week to get the tractor in to the barn. So, we just gutted the inside and took out flooring and beams. Got some really nice wood out of this. Unfortunately, there is some beetle damage but that shouldnt be too much of a problem. Here are a few pics.

 

[scott stokes]

Send me a 3/4"x3/4"x8" and I will make you a pen out of it.

 

[caughtinarut]

Those type barns (wood fired) were used till like the late 40's. We had them too. Or my grandparents did, in the 60's my grandpa was the largest tobacco farmer in GA. Keep in mind this was early tobacco production but no one else did it. Powell manufacturing literally lived here in the late 60's to early 70's. Making adjustments to machinery. That was a fun time. In my lift time it was bulk barns. The stick barns were here but they didn't use them anymore. Those wood fired barns were special. Lots of them burnt. That wood will be fantastic planed and used on a wall. Have to tell you it will be hard! Those had brick fireplaces outside with flues that heated the inside of the barn. Sweat the tobacco first then start cooking it with more heat. It was work!

Gas firing was used after that till early 70. Then metal bulk barns came in. I need to have my butt whipped for all of the sticks I broke or burned. I would live to have them back now. There is a restaurant in adel that had some furniture built from them and I thought it was the coolest thing. Back to the wood, I wired a house sometime back that had similar wood in it for big $$$.

Good to see that stuff being used!!

Catfish house

 

[Hooked On Quack]

Cool thread !