Lake City in Florence County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Lake City Tobacco Markets
⎯⎯⎯
Imperial Tobacco Company
Photographed by Dave W, May 1, 2023
1. Lake City Tobacco Markets side of marker
Lake City Tobacco Markets. Farmers in this vicinity began growing tobacco in the early 1890s, and by 1895 Lake City opened its first tobacco market and warehouse. It built its second warehouse by 1903, a third by 1909, and two more by 1917. In the heart of the S.C. "tobacco belt," this was the second-largest market in the state for most of the 20th century, and one of the largest in the five states producing flue-cured tobacco.
Imperial Tobacco Company. This building was built in 1912 for the Imperial Tobacco Company of Great Britain and Ireland to redry and process tobacco after it was sold and before it was aged in warehouses. Imperial bought and processed flue-cured tobacco in five Southern states for most of the 20th century. This plant, once the largest redrying plant in S.C., was sold to T.S. Ragsdale & Co. of Lake City in 1960 and closed in 1971.
Erected 2014 by Florence County Historical Commission. (Marker Number 21-38.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1895.
Location. 33° 52.13′ N, 79° 45.366′ W. Marker is in Lake City, South Carolina, in Florence County. It is on South Acline Street north
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in South Carolina’s Pee Dee. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: W.T. Askins House (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lake City Produce Markets / Lake City Bean Market (approx. 0.2 miles away); 102 East Main Street (approx. Ό mile away); 139 & 141 E. Main St. (approx. Ό mile away); Lake City (approx. Ό mile away); 137 East Main Street (approx. Ό mile away); 133 East Main Street (approx. Ό mile away); a different marker also named Lake City (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lake City.
Photographed by Dave W, May 1, 2023
2. Imperial Tobacco Company side of marker
Photographed by Dave W, May 1, 2023
3. Lake City Tobacco Markets / Imperial Tobacco Company Marker
Photographed by Dave W, May 1, 2023
4. Lake City Tobacco Markets / Imperial Tobacco Company Marker
Looking South along Acline Ave.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 25, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 3, 2023, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. This page has been viewed 786 times since then and 85 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 3, 2023, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
