St. Mary's City in St. Mary's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

A Pressing Situation

Tobacco Prize

By Devry Becker Jones, August 30, 2019

1. A Pressing Situation Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Tobacco-prizes were designed to tightly compress the cured tobacco into hogsheads. Two basic types of prizes exist. The earlier version, dating back to colonial times, was a vertical prize which was less costly to build. These were similar to the sword prize illustrated by William Tatham in An Historical and Practical Essay on the Culture and Commerce of Tobacco, published in 1800. Later in the 19th century, a horizontal prize came into use but it needed more specialized pieces of iron hardware. The hardware for the horizontal prize you see before you was made by the James J. Lacy Iron Foundry in Baltimore, Maryland, at the turn of the 20th century. Founded after the American Civil War, Lacy Foundry in business today. They manufactured iron products ranging from light poles for the city of Baltimore to the metal parts for farmers' tobacco prizes.

Erected by Historic St. Mary's City.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1800.

Location. 38° 11.004′ N, 76°

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25.785′ W. Marker is in St. Mary's City, Maryland, in St. Mary's County. Marker can be reached from Point Lookout Road (Maryland Route 5) 0.4 miles west of Rosecroft Road, on the left when traveling west. The marker is inside the open-air barn. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 16721 Point Lookout Road, Saint Marys City MD 20686, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. To Market! To Market! (here, next to this marker); Constructed With Colonial Ideas (here, next to this marker); Tree Growth Rings (here, next to this marker); How Old Is This Barn? (here, next to this marker); Carpenters' Marks (here, next to this marker); What Kind of Barn Was This? (here, next to this marker); Who Worked Here? (here, next to this marker); What Happened Here After 1695? (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Mary's City.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 2, 2019. It was originally submitted on September 2, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 44 times since then and 5 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on September 2, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.