At one time, Patrick County was home to five community canneries and one industrial cannery. With renewed interest in growing and preserving food at home, could community canneries make a comeback?
Community gardens—such as the one sponsored by the Patrick County Master Gardeners and Providence United Methodist Church, as well as the garden at Homestead on Commerce Street—are proof that local interest in food self-sufficiency is growing. A rise in farmers’ markets and small-scale meat production has given residents more options for locally grown and raised products.
Roots in War-Era Necessity
During World War I, food shortages arose as farmers and laborers were sent overseas to fight. In response, many states began establishing community canneries to help families preserve food. The movement expanded during World War II with the planting of Victory Gardens and increased federal and state support for food preservation efforts.
The Virginia Department of Education embraced the initiative, helping local school districts create canning facilities. In Patrick County, canneries were built at all five public high schools—Blue Ridge, Meadows of Dan, Stuart, Woolwine, and Critz.
Research indicates that the cannery at Stuart High School was housed behind the gym and constructed with help from the newly formed Rotary Club. At Meadows of Dan High School, the Ruritan Club played a similar role. Future Farmers of America clubs were instrumental in constructing and operating the canneries, which were often run through home economics and agricultural programs.
Students not only learned how to grow food, but also took part in the canning process. Some schools received surplus produce from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which students prepared and canned for use in school cafeterias. In Auburn, for example, students snapped green beans to be canned for lunches.
By the end of World War II, more than 3,800 canneries were operating across the rural South, including 720 in Virginia.
Memories of a Bygone Era
Many local residents still recall their experiences with the canneries. B. Clark remembers helping his grandmother at the Meadows of Dan cannery, one of the last in the county to close.
Most everybody in the county had a big garden and raised enough produce to last all year. The canneries allowed the space and equipment to can a large amount in a short period of time. Â
Bushels of corn, tubs of tomatoes, crates of apples and buckets of fresh meat—beef, pork, or venison—were hauled in. Large vats were used for washing, spacious tables for prep, and machines sealed the food in tin cans. These were then placed in industrial pressure cookers that could process more than 150 cans at a time. Since the cans were metal, they could be quickly cooled and taken home the same day.
For many, the cannery experience was more than just food preservation—it was a community gathering. Neighbors helped each other, and children played on nearby school playgrounds.
Not everyone needed the community facilities. Some families had their own pressure cookers and canned at home using glass jars or metal cans. Tommie Tatum recently discovered two boxes of unused tin cans stored in an old barn, a reminder that some households even had their own can sealers.
Pauline Williams recalled canning at home with her family, and vividly recalled it took 18 turns to seal one can. It was the kids’ job—to turn the crank 18 times.
A Shift in the Times
After the war, electricity became more readily available as did refrigeration, public jobs, and community grocery stores, so the need for canneries declined as many families gained access to electricity and refrigeration. As lifestyles changed, the need for community canneries declined.
School budgets, which were now providing the cannery services became tighter and often divisions had to make the choice between running the cannery or educating the children.
In Patrick County, when the high schools consolidated into one central facility, only three canneries remained—in Blue Ridge, Critz, and Meadows of Dan. These were operated under the supervision of James Love, then the vocational director at Patrick County High School.
But running the canneries became increasingly difficult. The school division funded them, and with aging equipment, building maintenance needs, and a shortage of skilled managers, budgets were strained. Â Â There was controversy on the local level when the school board started the conversation about closing the canneries as the expense to run them was too great and the use of them had declined. Eventually, the school board voted to close them all. The last of the equipment was sold at auction in 1990.
Many locals who grew up using the canneries now reflect on them with nostalgia—for both the healthy, homegrown food and the strong sense of community.
Could They Return?
Today, 11 community canneries still operate across Virginia. Carroll County maintains one that local groups use for processing apples into applesauce. Franklin County operates two—one in Glade Hill and another in Callaway.
It seems sad now to all those who have fond memories of the canneries and all the fresh, healthy food that was preserved there, is it possible to see one ever again in the foreseeable future in Patrick County? Could Patrick County revive the tradition?
As interest in food self-sufficiency grows, the idea of a modern community cannery may not be as far-fetched as it once seemed.
