Last Auction

For more than 100 years Mullins was the major tobacco market for South Carolina. Since 1997 the tobacco allotment has been cut in half, textile manufacturers have moved away and Mullins, a town of 5000 has lost more than 1200 jobs. The Last Auction explores how this small rural town is working to reinvent itself after the crippling loss of its economic base.

Closed captioning has been provided for this broadcast program.

Last Auction - Credits
Last Auction - Credits

Document

For more than 100 years Mullins was the major tobacco market for South Carolina. Since 1997 the tobacco allotment has been cut in half, textile manufacturers have moved away and Mullins, a town of...
The Last Auction, Part 18 - Anderson Center
The Last Auction, Part 18 - Anderson Center

Video

Mullins opens the Anderson Center and hopes for a revitalization in the town. Marion County residents can surf the Net or earn credits toward a degree at the new Technology Center of the Florence...
The Last Auction, Part 8 - Changes in Farming
The Last Auction, Part 8 - Changes in Farming

Video

Looking at the transition from hand-held farming to the advent of machines. In the past, tobacco was a labor-intensive crop. People handled every leaf throughout the growing, harvesting and curing...
The Last Auction, Part 5 - Replacing Tobacco
The Last Auction, Part 5 - Replacing Tobacco

Video

A look at the struggle to find crops to replace tobacco. Some farmers have substituted cattle, corn, beans and other vegetables for tobacco, but the profits are not what they were with tobacco.