Brightleaf Square Rest

Destinations - North Carolina By Wayne Addington Images

As Durham, NC began to build itself back after Big Tobacco left, they found they had warehouses full of raw materials--like these pipes. You'll now find these transformed into benches, railings, sculpture...there's almost always something popping up to entertain you on a walk through downtown, Brightleaf Square or Central Park. 'Bright leaf' refers to the process of warming tobacco leaves while they cure, leaving them brightly colored. It is reputed to have been accidentally discovered as a results of a fire in one of the curing barns but it led to these beautiful tobacco warehouses where heat could be uniformly applied.