String beans, butter beans, and cucumbers were among the fresh produce sold at this busy vegetable auction. Buyers and auctioneers gathered in their hats as baskets and larger quantities of vegetables were offered for sale. Like tobacco, the produce was carefully graded, giving each basket a clean and respectable appearance and helping buyers judge its quality.

Once purchased, many of these baskets made their way to grocery stores, mercantile stores, and vegetable vendors. From there, locally grown produce traveled far beyond the community, reaching markets and homes across the United States. What began at the auction could soon find its way onto a family dinner table or into a restaurant kitchen hundreds of miles away.

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