Tobacco Heritage Trail: 'To Market'

In an effort to preserve the history of what was once the livelihood of many Kentuckians, four volunteers — Joy Bourne Morgan, Harold Malcomb, Frieda Smith, and Elizabeth Prewitt — came together to form the Tobacco Heritage Trail in 2009.

The trail consists of eight murals placed on barns alongside prominent roadways to depict the process of raising tobacco. To accompany the murals, the group worked tirelessly interviewing local farmers on each of the processes. The audio interviews can be found at visitowencountyky.org/barn-murals.

Sweet Owen Magazine ends its spotlight on the barn murals this quarter with “To Market.”

TO MARKET is the final step in the tobacco production process and is the day all farm families worked toward. This mural features the tobacco market in the glory days of the 1950s-60s when farmers would take their stripped tobacco to market and watch it sell. It features five framed images—Unloading, Packing, Weighing, Selling and Pay-Day. Farmers took great pride in their tobacco crops and made sure the tobacco was packed neatly on the tobacco baskets. They stayed at the market to watch their crop sell as the buyers made their way through the warehouse. This pay-day would ensure farmers could pay their creditors, pay their tithes to church and have money for Christmas. This mural is located about 4 miles north of Perry Park on Highway 355.