A Cleared Path: Image 13 of 16

Corn was an important food staple on farms and plantations in rural America. Corn could be prepared “on the cob” for supper or dinner, or ground into “meal” from which corn cakes, corn bread, and other “meal” based dishes could be prepared. It was stored in wood frame buildings such as this one, which kept it off the ground and allowed it to dry out. Plantations often had "corn shucking" contests in which laborers would compete to see who was the fastest at stripping the husks off of the corn cob.