THAHS Schedules Cigar Trolley Tour

"In 1880, the (cigar) factories (in Terre Hill) were producing and wrapping 380,000 cigars a week," said Rodney Hartman of the Terre Hill Area Historical Society (THAHS).

THAHS member Carol Ann Boswell noted that about 20 locations related to cigar making in Terre Hill, once a prominent manufacturer of stogies, will be included on the Terre Hill Cigar Industry Trolley Tour. Three guided 30-minute tours will be held on Saturday, Sept. 20, with tours leaving the THAHS headquarters at 131 W. Main St., Terre Hill, at 1:15, 2:15, and 3:15 p.m. Tour participants are asked to be at the location 10 minutes prior to the time of the tour they are taking. There is no charge to take the tour, but seating is limited. THAHS will welcome donations from those who take the tour. Those wishing to take part in the guided trolley tours are asked to call 610-273-3109 by Saturday, Sept. 13, to register. Readers may also register by messaging THAHS at the organization's Facebook page, which may be found by searching for "Terre Hill Area Historical Society."

In addition, a booklet for a self-guided car or walking tour may also be picked up at the historical society. The walking tour is approximately three miles. Signs will be located at each stop on the day of the tour.

"Each location had something to do with the cigar making and packaging process," said Boswell. "You didn't have to be in a big factory to handroll a cigar." Boswell added that some locations were warehouses where tobacco was stored and that three of the stops were cigar-box factories, with one location housing workers and another simply for packing finished cigars into boxes.

THAHS members have been hard at work researching the history of cigar making in Terre Hill, formerly known as Fairville. Boswell and Reggie Hartman have scoured books, articles, pictures, and the internet for information for the tour, which will cover the time period from 1848 to 1927. While most of the places are now private homes, apartments, or storage facilities, Boswell stated that three of the locations burned, including one large factory producing El Producto cigars that had been located on Main Street across from where the THAHS meets today. "It took three other buildings with it (when it burned) in 1927," Boswell said.

Member Bob Jackson noted that the 1916 edition of the Terre Hill Times said that cigar manufacturing was the main industry in this town with eight factories running full time. "Another source indicated at one time there were 12 (factories) in town," stated Jackson, adding that cigar making facilities ranged from small factories employing 10 to 30 people to large factories employing up to 300. "There were three cigar-box manufacturing facilities as well, and about 30% of the workers were women," noted Jackson.

Boswell explained that Pennsylvania Broadleaf, which is grown in Lancaster County, has several uses. "It is used not only for the wrappers but for the fillers," she said, adding that at a period of time when cigarettes were outlawed, cigar smoking became more prevalent. "At one point, Pennsylvania was the largest tobacco grower in the country," she said. Boswell looks forward to sharing her knowledge as she and Jackson narrate the trolley tours. "Abner Clime started cigar manufacturing in this town, and he founded Terre Hill," she stated. "He and his family had businesses all over town." The manufacturers employed so many people, one location was once a restaurant and boarding house for employees. "This was for people who worked in the factory because there was no transportation in and out of town," she said. "They stayed during the week."

Rod added that the industry encompassed everything from large factories to women who rolled cigars at night after their children went to sleep to earn extra funds.

According to Boswell, automation contributed to the end of the small-town industry. "By the 1920s, they had automated cigar making equipment, and that was the beginning of the demise," she said.

THAHS members credited Boswell with the idea for holding the tour, but she noted that when research showed the importance of cigar making in Terre Hill, all the members got on board. "We decided to do it because it was such a big part of the history of this little town," she said.