North of Tallahassee in Gadsden County the soil is just right for growing tobacco and there were several large and profitable plantations there.
The small towns of Havana and Quincy have a past anchored in tobacco. Plantations growing a speckled leaf tobacco developed long before the Civil War and continues afterwards with free, primarily, African American laborers.
In 1896 it was discovered that tobacco grown under a cloth shade was perfect for wrapping cigars. And Gadsden County was one of only two places in the country suitable for growing tobacco in the shade. By 1906, there were over 5,000 acres of shade tobacco production that lasted into the 1970s.
Archaeologists have studied some of the tobacco plantations and find the remains of the huge drying barns, workers’ houses, sheds, and processing facilities.These studies provide insights into the labor dynamics, particularly the employment of a largely African American workforce, which shaped the region's culture and economy.
Historians and archaeologists have also studied the mansions and grounds of wealthy owners, such as the gilded age McFarlin mansion. The Shade Tobacco Museum in Quincy is a fine experience.
Unearthing Florida is a project of WUWF Public Media, the Florida Public Archaeology Network(FPAN), and its founder, Dr. Judith Bense, since 1998. FPAN's Michael Thomin is a contributor to the program. WUWF's Sandra Averhart is the executive producer.
