Near Brookneal in Campbell County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Ordering Pit

Patrick Henry's Red Hill

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 4, 2026

1. Ordering Pit Marker

Inscription. Most ordering pits were built under barns and could be as deep as eight feet. Tobacco workers would access the pit through a trap door and ladder. The inside of this pit would have been unlined with beams forming crosses for tobacco to be hung from and was divided into several small rooms. A fire would have been lit to produce heat to cure the hanging tobacco for several days. Because tobacco needed moisture to cure, the humid Virginia summers were ideal for tobacco curing. In the event of low humidity, ordering pits were critical to ensuring tobacco could continue to be produced. Commonly located next to ordering pits was an air-curing barn. The remnants of an air-curing barn foundation are located near this ordering pit.

Erected by Patrick Henry National Memorial.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Agriculture.

Location. 37° 2.064′ N, 78° 54.044′ W. Marker is near Brookneal, Virginia, in Campbell County. It can be reached from Red Hill Road (County Route 677) 1.2 miles south of Patrick Henry Road, on the right when traveling south. Marker

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

is located at Red Hill Patrick Henry National Memorial. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1250 Red Hill Road, 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.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Tobacco Barn (a few steps from this marker); Quarter Place Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); Cabin Foundations (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Reconstructed Cabin (about 500 feet away); Quarter Place Entrance (about 500 feet away); Slave and African American Cemetery (about 600 feet away); Quarter Place Trailhead (about 700 feet away); Patrick Henry’s Red Hill (about 700

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 4, 2026

2. Ordering Pit Marker

feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Brookneal.

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

Also see . . . Red Hill. Patrick Henry National Memorial (Submitted on August 1, 2026.)

Ordering Pit Location image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 4, 2026

3. Ordering Pit Location

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 3 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 29, 2026, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.