workers in durham's tobacco industry

By Helen Yu

Much of the Duke family’s wealth came from tobacco. Following the Civil War, North Carolina became a center of tobacco production, then cigarette production, with many African-American and white workers employed in warehouses and offices.[1] In 1881, the Dukes brought to Durham approximately 125 Eastern European Jewish immigrants from New York because of their experience in hand-rolling cigarettes. Before the manufacture of cigarettes was automated, most rollers were women. Skilled rollers could roll around 2,000 cigarettes in “a good day’s work.”[2] Eventually, machines eliminated rolling jobs.

---

[1]. ‘The End of Tobacco Road: Scenes from Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company’s Final Days in Durham, North Carolina, 1999.” Durham County Library.  https://durhamcountylibrary.org/exhibits/tobacco/; and “North Carolina & Tobacco: Historical Background,” PBS, http://www.pbs.org/pov/brightleaves/historical-background/

[2]. Ibid.

[3]. “Smith Warehouse,” Open Durham, http://www.opendurham.org/buildings/smith-warehouse