Rural town and editor say goodbye to its last tobacco warehouse, marking the end of an era

Residents of Somerset, Ky., said their final goodbyes to a landmark recently, with the demolition of the community's last standing tobacco warehouse. For years, burley tobacco was the financial underpinning of Somerset and Pulaski County, but auctions ended in 2005 after repeal of Depression-era production controls and price supports. Many growers had already contracted with cigarette manufacturers and spurned auctions. (Photos by Sharon Dodson)

Developers aren't sure what will replace the warehouse, but many residents will have a hard time forgetting it, including Bill Mardis, editor emeritus of The Commonwealth-Journal. "The best meal in town was at a warehouse restaurant," he writes. "It was a part of the tobacco-selling experience, highlight of a grower's year. Family members came and watched in awe as baskets of hand-tied and later baled burley were bid in by the buyers." (Read more)