The cloth bag has a drawstring with a tag and there is a paper label on the bag. The label pictures a bull and it is marked as follows:
National Historic Landmark
Blackwell, W.T., and Company Tobacco Factory
Durham, North Carolina
County of Durham.
National Register Number: 74001346
Resource type: Building.
Property type: Industry / Processing / Extract. - manufacturing.
Congressional District: NC-4
Certified Local Government: YES
Statement of Significance (as of designation - December 22, 1977):
From 1874 to 1957, this factory was the home of Bull Durham Smoking Tobacco, the first truly national tobacco brand. At one time this building, where tobacco was manufactured, bagged and labeled, was considered the world39;s largest tobacco factory. W. T. Blackwell and Company introduced production, packaging, and marketing techniques that made Bull Durham a part of American industrial history and folklore.
Durham, North Carolina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
History
Durham originated in 1853 with the search for a suitable railroad depot for the North Carolina Railroad between Raleigh and Hillsborough. The wood-burning steam locomotives of the time had to stop frequently to refuel, and depots supplying wood and water could not be more than 25 - 30 miles apart.
A post office known as Herndon39;s existed in the area from 1827, and another at nearby Prattsburg was established in 1836. The landowners at Prattsburg refused to sell land to the railroad. Somewhat further to the northwest, a country physician named Bartlett S. Durham lived and practiced along the route. He donated land to the railroad, which named the subsequent depot Durham Station. Prior to the arrival of the railroad, the area now known as Durham was almost entirely agricultural, with a few businesses catering to travelers (particularly livestock drivers) along the Hillsborough Road. This road, eventually followed by US Route 70, was the major east-west route in North Carolina from colonial times until the construction of interstate highways.
The town grew slowly before the Civil War, but grew rapidly following the war; the present city charter dates from 1869. Much of this growth can be attributed to the establishment of a thriving tobacco industry. Soldiers, both Union and Confederate, were encamped at Bennett Place, just outside the town, during surrender proceedings. During their long encampment, they liberally sampled the area39;s Brightleaf Tobacco, which purportedly had a milder flavor than other tobacco varieties. After returning to their homes, numerous orders were mailed to Green39;s tobacco company requesting more of the Durham tobacco. W. T. Blackwell would partner with Green, and rename the company the 39;39;Bull Durham Tobacco Company39;39;. The name 39;39;Bull Durham39;39; is said to have been taken from the bull on the British Colman39;s Mustard, which Mr. Blackwell (mistakenly) believed was manufactured in Durham, England.