Historical Marker: #2575  Bourbon County Hemp/Alexander House

Location:

902 Main St. Paris (Pleasanton Goods Parking Lot)

Marker Text:

Alexander House:  “The federal style house was built for William W. Alexander, a state representative 1848-52.  His father William Alexander owned a hemp factory until 1856, which was operated by 100 enslaved people. At 600 feet, it had one of the world’s longest ropewalks. Hugh D. Alexander operated the house as a restaurant and saloon from the 1880’s to 1908.”

Bourbon County Hemp:  “One of the chief hemp producing counties. Led production in 1810, accounting for 796 of the 5,755 tons grown in state. Two hemp mills processed 50,000 yards of fiber per year. After a slump during the Civil War, local farmers produced a crop of 569 tons in 1870.  By 1900 production declined with a brief revival during the World Wars.”

County Hempstory:

In 1785 the Virginia legislature established Bourbon county as just the 5th independent county in the Kentucky territory.  The area’s hempstory however, starts before then. Adam M’Ferson established a “blue diers business” for dyeing textiles at his homestead in 1778.

By the time Lewis Collins published his first edition of “Historical Sketches of Kentucky” in 1847 Paris, the county seat, boasted of having 3 bagging factories. One of these businesses would have been located at the site of the historical marker, the Alexander House.  The Hopewell Museum is just around the corner.  Above all, the murals inside the Bourbon County courthouse rotunda are a must see.

In 1788 a “blue diers business” was established in Hopewell in Bourbon county.  The business dyed cotton, flax and hemp thread.  

The Spears Family:

A county patriarch, Jacob Spears was also one of the first bourbon distillers. The family narrative spans into the modern era. His descendants operated the feed and seed mill that bore the family name into the mid 20th century. The closed Woodford Spears and Sons warehouse sits prominently on US 68, the main road into town.  

The Spears family was one of the largest hemp seed distributors in the country. They shipped hemp seed to Wisconsin where the change in latitude impacted the growth cycle of the plant. Kentucky hemp seed grew tall in Wisconsin, where the shorter days and shorter growing season resulted in a crop that did not produce mature males. This resulted in high quality hemp fiber.  

However, the Spears family did not just distribute hemp seed.  Several documents, recently donated to the University of Kentucky, reveal Spears pursued processing hemp fiber for the US Navy.

In early 2020 the family donated records from their hemp business to the Special Collections Library at the University of Kentucky’s M. I. King Library  The donation was a result of preservation efforts by the Hemp Highway of Kentucky.     

Courthouse Rotunda:

The Bourbon County courthouse has an amazing hemp artifact. The building’s rotunda features four large murals, each depicting agricultural activity during the seasons. The Winter mural showcases the hemp harvest. The painting shows field hands braking hemp stalk by hand. Construction on the building started in 1903, finishing in 1905.

Other Places:

After visiting the courthouse, head over to the Hopewell Museum. Featuring local and regional history, admission to the museum is free. While the full time exhibits are always enjoyable, the museum also features fresh perspectives. The permanent exhibits include a small area about hemp.  Spears family patriarch, Jacob Spears, is also featured prominently.

Grab a Bite:

Above all, be sure to check out CBD products from local favorite Nature’s Rhythm. They have a full line of extracts, topicals and farm fresh edibles.