Neikirk, curator of the Isle of Wight County Museum in Smithfield, Virginia, told Mental Floss. It was all part of a clever marketing ploy that had helped cement Gwaltney’s hometown of ...

Another pioneer in the Smithfield ham business is P.D. Gwaltney Jr., who made a name for himself in the industry in 1907. Oddly enough, one of Gwaltney's cured hams was accidentally left inside a ...