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Turpentine industry in the South, collecting gum from pine trees, circa 1940

Subjects
Forests & TreesLogging & LumberWorkers & Occupations
Card type
Linen
Date
c. 1930 (White Border)
Front of Turpentine industry in the South, collecting gum from pine trees, circa 1940, Asheville Post Card Co., NC, USA, c. 1930 linen postcard
Front
Back of Turpentine industry in the South, collecting gum from pine trees, circa 1940, Asheville Post Card Co., NC, USA, c. 1930 linen postcard
Back

About this postcard

A stand of tall longleaf pines in the Southern pinelands, each trunk scarred and fitted with a collection cup or box near the ground, while workers with a mule-drawn wagon and wooden barrels gather the raw gum. The card is captioned "Turpentine Industry in the South—Collecting Gum from Pine Trees" and credited to the U. S. Forest Service. Gum from longleaf and slash pines was distilled into turpentine and rosin — the "naval stores" industry that was long a mainstay of the rural South, with workers known as gum chippers and dippers tending the trees through the season.

Postcard Details

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PublisherAsheville Post Card Co.
KD-504 TURPENTINE INDUSTRY IN THE SOUTH—COLLECTING GUM FROM PINE TREES Photo by U. S. Forest Service. 90468 --- POST CARD PLACE STAMP HERE MADE IN U.S.A. PUB. BY THE ASHEVILLE POST CARD CO., ASHEVILLE, N. C.
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Postcard record

PublisherAsheville Post Card Co.
SeriesKD-504
ConditionVery good
PublisherAsheville Post Card Co., Asheville, NC
NotesLinen-textured stock with a white border; caption printed in the top margin and photographer credit with number 90468 along the bottom. No postmark; unused divided-back card. Blue imprint on cream stock, lightly foxed/soiled; white border on front, linen-textured stock, ca. 1930s-40s.

Cite this card

Turpentine industry in the South, collecting gum from pine trees, circa 1940, postcard, c. 1930. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/turpentine-industry-in-the-south-collecting-gum-from-pine-tr-3. Accessed October 24, 2026.