Who preserves tobacco barns?
A few tobacco barns are being preserved in public and private museums such as the Duke Homestead State Historic Site in Durham, the Tobacco Farm Life Museum in Kenly, and Horne Creek Living History Farm in Surry County. Except for these rare examples, virtually all of the tobacco barns in the state are privately owned. No farmer or landowner can be expected to pay for maintenance of a building that no longer contributes to the farm operation or its income, and there are no public or private grant programs to assist the preservation of old tobacco barns. (A small number of barns on historic farms listed in the National Register of Historic Places might be eligible for federal and state rehabilitation income tax credits). The majority of old tobacco barns standing today will probably disappear in the years ahead. However, some barns may be good candidates for some sort of adaptive reuse on the farm or property, and their repair and maintenance may cost much less than construction of a ne
