The Duke family of Durham, North Carolina, grew from this farm into one of the largest players in the American tobacco industry. Along the way, the founded a university, which is the most widely known part of their legacy.
Here are some photos I have of the Duke homestead, the place it all began for the Duke family. These industrious tobacco farmers gave us Duke University, Duke Power, and Doris Duke (although I’m pretty sure Daisy wasn’t a relation). From these humble beginnings sprang the greatest tobacco empire the world had ever seen.
With the money, the Dukes founded a university, which begat a hospital, which last year banned all tobacco products in or around its buildings. Turns out, smoking is bad. There still grows at least one small patch affiliated with the family name. I found it out on the homestead as a part of their “living history” program, right where the Duke’s first tobacco had grown 150 years previously.
