It’s rare to hear positive remarks concerning tobacco farming and manufacturing, but when you visit the Duke Homestead & Tobacco Museum in Durham fondness for tobacco abounds. The Duke Homestead is not only a classic 19th century estate filled with interesting antiques and artifacts, but also showcases the property’s purpose in its heyday: tobacco farming.
A somewhat quick history of the Homestead:
Washington Duke is the estate’s namesake. Duke receives the property from his wife Mary’s father and farms the usual cotton, corn, wheat, etc.
• Mary dies from complicated childbirth and Duke is forced to raise his family alone.
• Duke continues farming, eventually marries Artelia, and yet again loses his wife and a child to Typhoid.
• After many failing crops, Duke begins farming the increasingly popular tobacco in 1859 with over 300 acres of his own property.
• Duke joins the army during the Civil War and ends up selling or renting (records unclear) his homestead and sending his family away to Alamance County.
• After the war, Duke brings his family together and his tobacco business grows exponentially over the next few years.
• With the help of his sons, Duke builds a few factories over time that spread over Orange County as peddling trips across the state garner more tobacco consumers and consequently money for the Duke family.
• Cigarettes’ popularity spreads to North Carolina from Virginia and Duke invests in the Bonsack machine to quickly produce the cigarettes. After modifications and trial-and-error, the machine cuts the production time in half.
• Business grows tremendously until 1890 when an anti-trust court action hinders business; the Duke family goes abroad and invests in new technologies like hydroelectric power.
• Fast forward a hundred years or so and you have the established Duke University and other educational, medical, and religious institutions thriving because of the support from the Duke family and business.
In the end, many healthy, lively, educated people can thank tobacco use for their success – how ironic.
The history of the Duke Homestead, or the history of any place for that matter, is most appreciated when visited in person. And believe it or not, visiting a tobacco farming estate is actually very interesting. It doesn’t matter the age, anyone who visits the property and museum will learn a lot of state history, the influence of the tobacco industry, and how North Carolinians lived in the 19th century.
Should you visit and take a tour of the Homestead, you will begin with an informative video, then a walk through the fields of various crops including tobacco. The Duke’s main house has been completely restored capturing the essence of life in the Civil War era. After the home tour, you can visit the museum which houses photographs, literature, and even a few antique pieces of machinery used to manufacture tobacco.
The Duke Homestead & Tobacco Museum is open every day from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. except Sunday and Monday. Admission is always free. If you definitely want to join a tour, then it’s best to arrive at least 15 minutes before the hour so as to catch the video and then the complete walking tour. There are a few special events hosted by the Homestead throughout the year – you can find out more about them by calling the information desk at 477.5498, visiting the Web site at www.ibiblio.org/dukehome/ , or simply just checking it out in person. The history will always be there.
