The tobacco plant is native to the western hemisphere and has been grown and used by Indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Europeans began growing tobacco in North Carolina in the mid-1600s, with demand being so high that Virginia and Maryland could not support it alone. Production increased through the 18th and 19th centuries. In Orange County, the majority of tobacco was grown in the northern part of the county. This area has sandy loams and siliceous soils which support the drainage that tobacco needs. It was grown almost exclusively for sale, rather than home use, solidifying its position as a cash crop rather than a part of subsistence farming. Farming tobacco is very labor intensive, and during this period much of that demanding work was forced upon enslaved people.
While production briefly shrank after the Civil War, the 1880s saw massive expansion in the tobacco industry. Tobacco manufacturing companies were popping up all around the state, but some of the biggest were in Durham, and Orange County farmers benefited greatly from this proximity. By the early 20th century, North Carolina was regarded as the leading source of tobacco.
As with many industries, the Great Depression took a toll on the tobacco industry. During this period many farmers turned their focus to dairy or livestock in an attempt to make a living. However, in the 1940s prices began to stabilize, and by the middle of the century, tobacco was once again the county’s biggest money-maker. The industry rode this high through the 1980s. By the 1990s bad press about the health effects of tobacco and lawsuits against manufacturing companies were starting to impact all levels of the tobacco business. This continued in the early 2000s as changing laws saw many small farmers change their product or sell their land. Despite these difficulties, North Carolina is still the top producer of tobacco in the country.