TobaccoRoadinConn.?EnfieldHometoOneofLargestFarms

Tobacco growing is a big deal in Connecticut, but unless you live in the Connecticut River Valley, you probably would never know.

If, however, you’re driving through the area and see long, rectangular barns that are 200 to 300 ft. long, with wooden vertical siding and no windows, there’s a pretty good chance you’re looking at what is or was a tobacco farm.

Tobacco growing goes all the way back to the 1600s by the native population. The town of Windsor, Conn., was founded in 1633, and residents soon discovered that the soil conditions and hot, short summers were ideal climate conditions for growing tobacco. At its peak during the Civil War, Connecticut yielded 10 million pounds of tobacco a year, which may have had something to do with an embargo that was in place of southern crops during the war.

see JARMOC page 104