May Farm: A Tobacco Farming Community
May Farm is a small rural community that developed around tobacco farming. The community recruited sharecroppers from Gadsden County and nearby Jackson County to tend their tobacco fields. Over the last decade, farmers have begun planting other crops, including peas, soybeans, corn, and cotton. The community consists of the original barns, farm equipment, and some of the homes that were present during the tobacco era.
Earlier in its history, farm operators provided residents with food and access to these barns for the community’s May Day celebrations. In addition to sharing meals, the community also hosted softball games throughout the day. Although this tradition has ended, residents continue to gather and share stories from the past. May Farm remains a relatively tightly-knitted community, with many of the residents being descendants of the sharecroppers that moved there during the 1960s.
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