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Near Attapulgus in Decatur County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

Amsterdam, Georgia / Shade Grown Tobacco

 
 
Side 1: Amsterdam, Georgia Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By David Seibert, May 16, 2012
1. Side 1: Amsterdam, Georgia Marker
Inscription.

Amsterdam, Georgia
In 1891, A. Cohn & Co. purchased 14,000 acres for tobacco cultivation and named it Amsterdam. At that time, the property was the largest tobacco plantation in the world under one ownership. In 1907, seven of the larger growers and packers in the area merged to form the American Sumatra Tobacco Co., with a division in Amsterdam. This was a company town with offices, railroad, commissaries, post office, packing houses and employee houses. At its peak, the town boasted a population of 450. The Imperial Tobacco Co. bought the A.S.T. Co. in 1955 and operated it until 1965 when they discontinued growing tobacco. In 1967 the land was sold to the Coastal Lumber Company.

Shade Grown Tobacco
Cigar wrapper tobacco was grown only in a small area of Georgia, Florida and the Connecticut River Valley from the 1840’s to 1975. During the 1890’s wooden arbors began to be used to make the leaves lighter and thinner. Later, cheese cloth tents were used to filter sunlight and keep insects out. After World War II, production was mechanized, but the cultivation of tobacco still remained one of the most labor intensive crops grown. With the extension of wage and hour to farm labor, costs rose to $7,000 per acre making the growing of tobacco economically prohibitive. Thus ended an era of nearly 150
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years.
 
Erected 1986 by Historic Chattahoochee Commission, Decatur County Commission and the Decatur County Historical Society.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: AgricultureIndustry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1891.
 
Location. 30° 43.615′ N, 84° 25.984′ W. Marker is near Attapulgus, Georgia, in Decatur County. Marker is on Tallahassee Highway (U.S. 27) 0 miles north of Amsterdam Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Attapulgus GA 39815, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Gragg Lumber Company (a few steps from this marker); The Village, the Pits, and the Dumps (a few steps from this marker); Attapulgus Presbyterian Cemetery (approx. 3.3 miles away); Attapulgus Cemetery Inc. (approx. 3.3 miles away); Attapulgus High School (approx. 3.4 miles away); Attapulgus (approx. 3.4 miles away); Attapulgite / Fullers Earth (approx. 3˝ miles away); Vickers Cemetery (approx. 6 miles away in Florida). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Attapulgus.
 
Regarding Amsterdam, Georgia / Shade Grown Tobacco. Other than a very few houses, no trace of Amsterdam remains.
 
Side 2: Shade Grown Tobacco Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By David Seibert, May 16, 2012
2. Side 2: Shade Grown Tobacco Marker
Side 1: Amsterdam, Georgia Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By David Seibert, May 16, 2012
3. Side 1: Amsterdam, Georgia Marker
Side 2: Shade Grown Tobacco Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By David Seibert, May 16, 2012
4. Side 2: Shade Grown Tobacco Marker
Looking southeast on US 27 toward Tallahassee, Florida
Side 2: Shade Grown Tobacco Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By David Seibert, May 16, 2012
5. Side 2: Shade Grown Tobacco Marker
The marker stands only a few feet from another marker for the Gragg Lumber Company.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 6, 2020. It was originally submitted on June 6, 2012, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 1,341 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 6, 2012, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 28, 2024