Tobacco Prize

One of the greatest challenges in farming is getting the crops to market. Tobacco produced large profits but only if it could be sold. In the 17th and 18th centuries, tobacco was packed into wooden barrels called hogsheads for direct shipment to Europe. The devise used to compact as much tobacco as possible into each hogshead was called a tobacco prize.

This operation can only be done on a wet day or the tobacco will crumble. Over time, hogsheads were made larger which allowed planters to pack more tobacco in them, saving on shipping costs.

In the colonial era, hogsheads where shipped to England. With the development of American markets in the 19th century, the destination of Southern Maryland tobacco was more likely Baltimore. An 1834 assessment of the Brome plantation included a "prize shed, 14 by 25 feet." Tobacco growing was an important part of the local culture here until 2001, when most farmers stopped due to a state "buyout" program. This virtually ended the region's 360-year long tradition of tobacco cultivation.

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Constructed With Colonial Ideas
A Pressing Situation
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