Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Lockwood’s Burley: The Ohio Valley’s Found and Lost Tobacco
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Lockwood’s Burley tobacco was discovered and grown in the Ohio River Valley for more than a century. From its start in Brown County Ohio, this presentation will document the discovery, growth, human use, and probable loss of this variety of tobacco. Lockwood’s Burley was a tobacco variety discovered by accident and that would eventually become widely grown by small farmers, primarily in Western West Virginia. Information for this research project was gathered from depression era US Department Agriculture information pamphlets on tobacco production, written works on the history of tobacco, online tobacco seed preservation and distribution sources and personal experiences from former growers of the tobacco. Findings from the research will document the span of growth and decline of Lockwood’s Burley tobacco from beginning to end and the attempts to ‘find’ Lockwood’s Burley today in order to either preserve it by growing and distributing its seed it again or documenting that the species is probably lost from existence.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Doug Sturgeon is an Associate Professor in Teacher Education at Shawnee State University. He lives on his family’s farm in West Virginia. His research interests are One Room Schools, and local West Virginia history.
Lockwood’s Burley: The Ohio Valley’s Found and Lost Tobacco
Lockwood’s Burley tobacco was discovered and grown in the Ohio River Valley for more than a century. From its start in Brown County Ohio, this presentation will document the discovery, growth, human use, and probable loss of this variety of tobacco. Lockwood’s Burley was a tobacco variety discovered by accident and that would eventually become widely grown by small farmers, primarily in Western West Virginia. Information for this research project was gathered from depression era US Department Agriculture information pamphlets on tobacco production, written works on the history of tobacco, online tobacco seed preservation and distribution sources and personal experiences from former growers of the tobacco. Findings from the research will document the span of growth and decline of Lockwood’s Burley tobacco from beginning to end and the attempts to ‘find’ Lockwood’s Burley today in order to either preserve it by growing and distributing its seed it again or documenting that the species is probably lost from existence.
