Near Brookneal in Campbell County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Tobacco Barn
Patrick Henry's Red Hill
Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 4, 2026
1. Tobacco Barn Marker
Inscription.
Tobacco barns like this one played an important role in Virginia's economy during the Henry family's ownership of the property. During Patrick Henry's time, Red Hill yielded over 20,000 pounds of tobacco each year on 60 acres of land. One adult enslaved person could tend up to three acres of tobacco alone. Due to the large amount of tobacco that Red Hill grew, there would have been several tobacco barns along Quarter Place. After the plant was cut from the ground, the stalks were split up the center and then hung over wooden sticks inside the barn to dry for four to six weeks. Using heat and humidity inside the barn during this process, tobacco leaves change color from green to yellow. After the leaves are cured, they are pressed into large barrels known as hogsheads. In Patrick's time, hogsheads were sent along the Staunton River on batteau boats to be sold at markets in Lynchburg and Richmond.
Tobacco barns like this one played an important role in Virginia's economy during the Henry
family's ownership of the property. During Patrick Henry's time, Red Hill yielded over 20,000
pounds of tobacco each year on 60 acres of land. One adult enslaved person could tend up to
three acres of tobacco alone. Due to the large amount of tobacco that Red Hill grew, there would have been several tobacco barns along Quarter Place. After the plant was cut from the ground, the stalks were split up the center and then hung over wooden sticks inside the barn to dry for four to six weeks. Using heat and humidity inside the barn during this process, tobacco leaves change color from green to yellow. After the leaves are cured, they are pressed into large barrels known as hogsheads. In Patrick's time, hogsheads were sent along the Staunton River on batteau boats to be sold at markets in Lynchburg and Richmond.
Marker is near Brookneal, Virginia, in Campbell County. It can be reached from Red Hill Road (County Route 677), on the right when traveling south. Marker is located at the Patrick Henry National Memorial. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Brookneal VA 24528, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont and in Central Virginia. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in 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.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. The Quarter Place at Patrick Henry's Red Hill Plantation
Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 4, 2026
3. Tobacco Barn Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 29, 2026, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 4 times since then. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on July 29, 2026, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
