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Lake City Pole Barn

SC PICTURE PROJECT 4 Comments

SC Picture Project / Florence County / Lake City Pole Barn

This restored pole barn in downtown Lake City was built in the early part of the twentieth century and stands as a reminder of the area’s rich agricultural heritage. A leading tobacco market since the late nineteenth century, Lake City commemorates the work that goes into tobacco preparation with this interpretive exhibit. The barn was moved to its current site behind the Lake City Depot in 2008 by the Community Museum Society of Lake City, which also maintains the historic Bean Market.

Lake City Pole Barn

Jim Jenkins of Chesterfield, 2015 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Features of the tobacco barn, or pole barn, include a log structure with a brick foundation and furnace. The furnace heated the barn to dry, or cure, the tobacco leaves. Flues, or openings, were built at the base of the barn to circulate the heat. The shed surrounding the barn provided shade during the stringing process, wherein workers attached tobacco leaves to poles – hence the name “pole barn” – to be hung within the barn. The poles would then be affixed horizontally inside the barn, with the leaves hanging to dry in the heat. The historic photo below depicts people stringing tobacco in Florence County in 1938.

Stringing Tobacco Florence County

Library of Congress, 1938, Prints &Photographs Division, LC-DIG-fsa-8b31536

Today the Lake City Pole Barn is used for special events, such as the annual Tobacco Festival held in September, and ArtFields, a nine-day art competition hosted in Lake City each April. Visitors are invited to walk around the barn at any time, though the interior is not open.

Lake City Tobacco Barn

Jim Jenkins of Chesterfield, 2015 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Plan Your Trip: Lake City Pole Barn

Where is Lake City Pole Barn located?
Address: 107 Irvin Street, Lake City, SC 29560
GPS Coordinates: 33.870109,-79.754729
What else should I see?
Lake City First Baptist 0.1 mile
Jones-Carter Gallery 0.1 mile
Lake City Depot 0.2 mile
Imperial Tobacco Company 0.2 mile
Show me more like this!
  • See other South Carolina Barns & Farms
  • See other South Carolina Historical Photos
  • Lake City Historic Sites
    Lake City Pole Barn Map

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    Related posts:

    Lake City MuralLake City Imperial Tobacco Building, Lake CityImperial Tobacco Company Browntown HouseBrowntown Old Hot BarnThe Old Hot Barn Carter's Feed, Before RenovationJones-Carter Gallery

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Carroll Price says

      February 23, 2019 at 9:01 AM

      I was born and raised in tobacco country and never heard tobacco barns called anything other than tobacco barns. Pole barns are called pole barns because they’re supported by poles embedded in the ground, which is not the way tobacco barns were built.

      Reply
      • SC Picture Project says

        February 23, 2019 at 1:14 PM

        We understand the concern over the name, but their official name is The Pole Barn. Their Facebook page is located at https://www.facebook.com/ThePoleBarnLakeCity/.

        Reply
    2. Sonya says

      April 20, 2017 at 8:28 AM

      Hello. Love this pic. I was wondering if the barn available to shoot photos in front of? Thanks

      Reply
      • SCIWAY says

        April 20, 2017 at 1:31 PM

        Yes, the exterior is public!

        Reply

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