Abstract:
Tobacco was king in Pitt County during the 1940s and produced more than any other county in the state. Bright-leaf tobacco is marketed in the county and served as the second largest in the country. Five companies processed tobacco in Greenville: Export Tobacco Company, Imperial Tobacco Company, Greenville Tobacco Company, Person-Garrett Company and E. B. Ficklen Company. The tobacco was grown in neighboring towns of Farmville and Bethel. Other Greenville manufactures consisted of: Greenville Spinners, Greenville Hosiery Mill, Garriss-Evans Lumber Company, North Side Lumber Company, Eureka Lumber Company, Perkins Lumber Company, and Sellers Brick Company. There were fertilizer plants in Greenville and Farmville.