HATFIELD, MA
Long ago, in the days before we knew better, tobacco was a principal crop in the Connecticut River Valley. The rich alluvial soil was ideal, and farmers planted the big leaf from Bennington to Hartford. Tobacco barns are still a common sight throughout the valley. Longleaf Lumber recently purchased the wood from several barns in Hatfield, Massachusetts. One of the barns was very unusual tobacco processing building. Most tobacco barns were drying sheds consisting of simple frames and barn board, hinged for ventilation.
The processing barn was a three story affair, heavily framed with a very high grade of spruce. The dried tobacco was brought into the processing barn, where workers used simple wooden measuring boxes to sort leaves according to length. Connecticut River Valley leaves were widely regarded as wrapping leaves. Bigger leaves for bigger cigars, littles one for cigarillos!
Longleaf is pleased to offer this spruce as milled flooring in either a bright finish or a tobacco brown tone.
All of the material from this job has been sold.