Tobacco Sheds Dot the Landscape
The scenic wooden tobacco sheds with louvered sides that dot country roads in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts in towns as Whately, Deerfield and Hadley have been an important characteristic of the New England Country side. Long preserved they are currently now in danger of being eliminated. I took this photo several weeks ago and last week this very same shed has shown signs of being dismantled.
The 1840’s saw a booming industry for tobacco products. These structures served a valuable purpose in their time for the local economy. Given the Tobacco industry’s decline these structures relevance have grown to be more about the historical character of the region rather than their function as storage for tobacco set for market. Today they are no longer used. Although many other barns have been converted into homes or other uses, the problem with recycled tobacco sheds is their characteristic louvered side slats that were designed to create air flow around the tobacco hung to dry for two months a year.
Even though I can empathize with the prevailing societal taboos which have emerged concerning tobacco use, I still am sad to see the tobacco sheds gradually disappearing from the landscape. I have several works in my photo gallery that depict these wonderful structures. This is one instance in which progress is I fear misdirected at least from a visual and aesthetic viewpoint.
Hadley, MA
Texture added by Shadowhouse Creations - shadowhousecreations.blogspot.com/2014/05/jj-texture-set-...
Tobacco Sheds Dot the Landscape
The scenic wooden tobacco sheds with louvered sides that dot country roads in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts in towns as Whately, Deerfield and Hadley have been an important characteristic of the New England Country side. Long preserved they are currently now in danger of being eliminated. I took this photo several weeks ago and last week this very same shed has shown signs of being dismantled.
The 1840’s saw a booming industry for tobacco products. These structures served a valuable purpose in their time for the local economy. Given the Tobacco industry’s decline these structures relevance have grown to be more about the historical character of the region rather than their function as storage for tobacco set for market. Today they are no longer used. Although many other barns have been converted into homes or other uses, the problem with recycled tobacco sheds is their characteristic louvered side slats that were designed to create air flow around the tobacco hung to dry for two months a year.
Even though I can empathize with the prevailing societal taboos which have emerged concerning tobacco use, I still am sad to see the tobacco sheds gradually disappearing from the landscape. I have several works in my photo gallery that depict these wonderful structures. This is one instance in which progress is I fear misdirected at least from a visual and aesthetic viewpoint.
Hadley, MA
Texture added by Shadowhouse Creations - shadowhousecreations.blogspot.com/2014/05/jj-texture-set-...