Historical Marker

First Crop

Historical marker location:

Danville, Kentucky

( Courthouse lawn, US 127, Danville)

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.

(Reverse) Hemp in Kentucky First crop grown, 1775. From 1840 to 1860, Ky. production largest in U.S. Peak in 1850 was 40,000 tons, value of $5,000,000. Scores of factories made twine, rope, gunny sacks, bags for cotton picking and marketing. State's largest cash crop until 1915. Market lost to imported jute, freed of tariff. As war measure, hemp grown again during World War II.