Black Farmers (1934)

In 1934, 834 farms, encompassing more than 33,000 acres, were operated by black persons in Liberty County. Of that number, 560 were full owners of their farms, representing more than 23,000 acres.

The majority of the black farmers in Liberty County in 1934 did not raise tobacco. Cotton was still their money crop. But there was an oversupply of cotton on the national market, and it brought a low price.

Black farmers planted small plots of rice, sugar cane, corn, and vegetables, but there invariably was never enough food to feed themselves or their livestock. To supplement their farm income, black men worked in sawmills, naval stores, or in the fishing industry. Many black women did domestic work or laundry for white persons. But farm and outside work brought in only enough money for a marginal existence.

The plight of black farmers in Liberty County in 1934 paralleled that of most white farmers in the county. White and black men worked at the same outside jobs. But few, if any, white women did domestic work or laundry for other persons.