Passersby at the Columbus County Courthouse might notice some unusual greenery in one of the concrete planters.
It’s not a lily, flowering bush or even a boxwood. Instead of decorative greenery, the courthouse is home to a tobacco plant.
Clerk of Superior Court Jess Hill has been nurturing the broadleaf since he planted it earlier this year.
“The ladies didn’t put anything in that one this year,” he said, “so I thought, why not? This is a way to honor our county’s agricultural heritage.”
Hill obtained the plant from an area farmer, and until recently it had been largely ignored. Mindy Caine of Caines Farm spotted the plant and immediately recognized it. She shared a photo and post on Facebook thanking Hill for the unusual flora.
Hill said his family has a long history of tobacco. His grandfather Earl – who farmed the golden leaf from the 1920s until 1972 — expected Jess Hill’s father Jim to come home from his law office and work during tobacco season.
“The farm and tobacco were everything to him,” Jess Hill laughed. “Daddy was county attorney, and grandaddy didn’t see his law career as anything but a side gig.”
Jess Hill said he hopes to continue to use the planter to honor the county’s agricultural roots. He is a leader with the Columbus County Agricultural Fair, and was instrumental in recreating a classic tobacco barn on the fairgrounds.
He said he has treated the tobacco plant like any other farmer, clearing weeds, watering it and keeping the dirt turned.
“Next I want to do some strawberries out there,” he said. “Watermelons or sweet potatoes might be too much.
“We should never forget where our county came from, and how so many families who built Columbus County made a living,” he said.
Hill said he has received numerous compliments as well as some teasing about the plant. He said he does have one concern.
“I just hope it doesn’t get any tobacco worms on it,” he said.
Copyright 2026 Columbuscountynews.com. All Rights Reserved.
