Turpentine Bought Ledger (1880)
Archival ID: 1880_07_19_Turpentine_Bought_List
Why This Document Matters
The turpentine industry, often referred to as “Naval Stores,” was a demanding industrial sector in the post-Reconstruction South. This ledger documents the daily volume of raw product “bought” or harvested by laborers, capturing the individual production levels of workers such as Sam Mack and Henry McCutchen.
The ledger entries show specific production records for workers, including Sam Mack and Henry McCutchen, with numerical values reflecting the volume of crude turpentine collected.
Significance: These entries provide a raw, quantifiable look at the labor of the era. The documentation of individual “dips” or barrels serves as an industrial record of the physical exertion required in the pine forests, bridging the gap between seasonal agricultural work and the systematic extraction of natural resources for the naval stores market.
Archival Citation
Institutional Partnership
Chicago Defender Charities, Inc.
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