The Rise Of Tobacco as a Southern Appalachian Staple: Madison County, North Carolina

This paper traces the development of the farm system in Madison County, North Carolina from the mid-19th century to the present, describing processes that contributed to the rise of tobacco as a Southern Appalachian staple, including the diffusion of technological and biological innovations, regional economic development, the changing political economy of tobacco manufacturing, and federal intervention. Using census data, published historical accounts, and contemporary newspaper articles, this paper details two eras of commercial tobacco production in western North Carolina. The Flue-Cured Era lasted from the 1870s into the first decade of the 20th century. The Burley Era started in the mid-1920s and continues to the present, tempered recently by the development of an amenity landscape.