New Book Recalls How Kentucky Became The Center Of The Early U.S. Hemp Industry

Kentucky and hemp have a long and storied history, and author Dan Isenstein nails down the details of the early days in his new book ‘Tales from the Kentucky Hemp Highway,’ which is available via Arcadia Publishing on Monday, Aug. 9. Below is an excerpt from two chapters of the book, one covering Kentucky’s first hemp crop near Danville, the other looking at the hemp industry’s role during World War II.

Boyle County: First crop

The marker commemorating Kentucky’s first hemp crop is located in Boyle County. The narrative on this marker introduces the importance of hemp on the frontier. The marker celebrates original pioneer Archibald McNeill, who planted Kentucky’s first recorded hemp crop in 1775.

Kentucky’s first recorded hemp crop, 1775, was on Clark’s Run Creek, near Danville. Grown by Archibald McNeill, who brought the first seed with him when he located here. Hemp production spread slowly throughout the area, but Boyle County later became one of ten Bluegrass counties which together produced over 90 percent of entire US yield in 1889.—Marker 1279, Boyle County Courthouse, Danville

McNeill’s introduction of hemp culture in Kentucky can be directly traced back to the establishment of the first permanent settlement in the territory. So, how does McNeill come to Kentucky, and what happens to him after he plants that first hemp crop in 1775?

In 1754, at the start of the French and Indian War, Kentucky was part of North America claimed by France. The French surrendered these claims to the British in the Treaty of Paris, which ended the war in 1763. While the British agreed to limit settlement in the lands ceded by France, the acquisition of new territory initiated a rush by colonials to scout, survey and claim it. Virginia veterans in particular believed their service should be compensated in the form of “western bounty grants” — land — in the newly acquired territory. Despite the interest, permanent settlement in Kentucky was not attempted by whites until 1774. That summer, James Harrod and 31 men traveled by canoe down the Ohio River. They entered the mouth of the Kentucky River and paddled upstream to what is now Mercer County, where they disembarked and hiked inland. By June 16, 1774, they had erected the first “permanent” cabins in the territory.

This activity attracted the attention of local Native American tribes; a raiding party ambushed a group of five settlers who were clearing trees on July 20, 1774. One of the men, Jared Cowan, was killed, while Jacob Sandusky and another man fled down the Cumberland River, eventually making it to New Orleans. The fifth settler returned to the fort to report the attack.

Concurrent to these events, famed frontiersman Daniel Boone arrived at the settlement with a message from Lord Dunsmore, the colonial governor of Virginia. Because of recent Native American activity in the territory, Dunmore put out a call for men to form a militia regiment. The ensuing military campaign, appropriately named “Dunmore’s War,” was decided on October 10, 1774, at the Battle of Point Pleasant. The Native American defeat resulted in the loss of their hunting rights in the Kentucky territory.

That winter, Harrod made plans to return to Kentucky. In February 1775, Harrod’s scouts reconnoitered the area and found no evidence of Native American activity. On March 11, Harrod, this time with 45 men, returned to Kentucky and began reclaiming the cabins.

Included in Harrod’s second group of men was Archibald McNeill. There is no record indicating if McNeill was part of Harrod’s original group of 31 men that attempted settlement in 1774. Regardless of when he joined Harrod, McNeill brought a valuable commodity with him: hemp seed.

Not long after returning to the settlement, Archibald McNeill planted the first recorded hemp crop in the Kentucky territory. Lewis Collins makes an interesting distinction in his “History of Kentucky.” In the chapter “First Things in Kentucky,” Collins writes, “The first seed hemp was raised in 1775, by Archibald McNeill, on Clark’s Creek not far from Danville.” The wording appears deliberate, potentially implying more than just Kentucky’s first hemp crop. Hemp seed would have been an extremely valuable commodity on the frontier. Was McNeill growing a crop of seed hemp for sale or use in the following season? Sadly, Archibald McNeill did not survive the frontier for very long. In 1779, a clerk with the Fincastle County, Virginia court traveled to Kentucky to register land claims. Among the registered claims recorded at Fort Harrod on November 3, the clerk’s office issued Peggy McNeill confirmation of her settler’s claim. It was made in the name of her husband, Archibald McNeill, who is listed on the claim as “deceased.” Collins published his original volume in 1847, a peak period for Kentucky’s hemp industry. When Collins compiled his research, the significance of the state’s hemp industry was undeniable. The impact of the industry is reflected throughout the entire volume. In each county summary, he included up-to-date demographic and economic information. This information included the population of freed men and enslaved people, staple crops (including hemp) with annual output, as well as the number and types of merchants and businesses. Significantly, Collins made sure to mention ropewalks and bagging factories as signs of economic development. His clear understanding of hemp’s significance to the state narrative suggests that his use of the term seed hemp was deliberate.

McNeill may be credited with planting the first recorded hemp crop in Kentucky, but his is not Boyle County’s only compelling hemp story:

Boyle County was formed from parts of Mercer and Lincoln in 1841 and named for the Honorable John Boyle, for many years the chief justice of the state.…The soil of this county is very deep and rich, and generally lies well for cultivation. The products are principally stock and hemp. The citizens are generally independent in their circumstances well educated and intelligent. The towns of Boyle County are Danville and Perryville.…Danville was established by the Virginia legislature in 1787, and was for many years the seat of government of Kentucky.

A close-up of the hemp plant | Photo courtesy of Victory Hemp Foods

Hemp for victory

The domestic hemp industry was almost nonexistent in the 1930s. By 1937, hemp’s relationship and physical resemblance to “marihuana” had created a crippling legal environment for the industry. The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 was the result of a public awareness campaign about the use of the cannabis plant as a recreational drug. The language of the tax on the transfer of hemp from grower to mill owner created an insurmountable financial obstacle. By 1939, four farms in Kentucky grew a total of 90 tons of hemp fiber; another six farms grew 30 acres of seed hemp. The three cord and twine factories still in operation mostly processed imported fibers like sisal.

Concurrent with the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Japan also invaded the Philippine Islands, cutting off the U.S. Navy’s supply of marine fiber. Since the conclusion of the Spanish-American War in 1898, a large portion of the navy’s fiber requirements was met with abaca, a fiber plant from the banana family, also known as “Manila Hemp.” The interruption of this supply of marine-quality fiber, combined with the rising demands for cordage and other hemp products by the warring European nations, threatened to create a shortage of this vital war material.

While metal anchor chains and cords of twisted steel had come to replace most of the hemp rope used to rig ships, hemp rope was still used to load and secure cargo and for bow and stern lines tying ships to docks. At the onset of American entry into the war, it appeared as if an emergency program to secure hemp fiber was a priority. In early 1942, the War Department established the Commodity Credit Corporation to help secure a domestic supply of hemp and other war materials. The “Hemp for Victory” program, as it’s now called, was established to ensure the supply of hemp fiber. The U.S. Department of Agriculture initiated a program to train farmers and establish a network of hemp mills to process the hemp stalks into fiber. To support this program, the USDA issued Farmers Bulletin 1935, “Hemp,” and produced a promotional film, “Hemp for Victory,” to raise awareness. And it was not just the navy that required hemp to function. Hemp blend thread was used for a variety of applications for all branches of the military. Among the many applications for hemp mentioned in the film were the following: “rope for marine rigging and towing; for hay forks, derricks and heavy-duty tackle; light duty firehose; thread for shoes for millions of American soldiers; and parachute webbing for our paratroopers.”

Kentucky’s role in the hemp industry had changed radically since its heyday in the 1840s. Kentucky hemp fiber farmers had not embraced available technology, and hemp fiber production gradually shifted to the Midwest. As fiber production migrated out of state, Kentucky farmers focused on producing hemp seed. Kentucky seed was ideally suited for fiber production farther north. Hemp from Kentucky seed grew tall and thin, resulting in ideal fibers. The shorter growing season at northern latitudes also meant that the hemp was generally ready for harvest before seeds ripened. The “Hemp for Victory” program built 42 hemp mills during the war, only one of which was located in Kentucky, the mill in Winchester.

It was located on US 60 West just inside the Fayette/Clark County border, and construction commenced in the spring of 1943. Wisconsin’s leading hemp agronomist, Andrew Wright, is believed to have contributed to the design. The concept maximized the flow of materials.

Hemp was delivered at one end of the mill, where it entered the dryer. Next, it went through the decorticating and carding processes. The decorticating machine eliminated the intense labor of breaking hemp, while carding softened the fiber. The mills were designed to be relatively self-sufficient. Hemp hurds, rich in cellulose, powered the dryers and warmed the mills.

The Winchester mill operated only one season, processing one crop. By 1944, the tide of World War II had turned and several traditional sources of fiber had been restored. Most of the hemp processed into fiber during the war was never actually consumed. A significant portion of the domestic hemp fiber produced made up a strategic reserve. Of this, a large portion was improperly stored and destroyed. Contrary to popular belief, Hemp for Victory did not make a significant contribution to the war effort and was basically a “$30 Million insurance policy.”

Hemp for Victory was terminated at the end of the war, and the mills were sold as government surplus. The mill in Winchester was sold by the government in 1948 and converted into an aluminum siding factory. Later, it was used as a lumberyard and eventually a recycling center. After years of neglect, the building was eventually torn down in 2017. •

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