'Twisted History' of Kentucky Hemp Explored at UK Libraries

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 12, 2014) — With Kentucky's newest legal hemp crops being harvested recently, the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center presents the exhibition “Unraveling the Twisted History of Kentucky Hemp” on display through November in the Margaret I. King Library Building. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

From keystone cash crop to banned substance surrounded in suspicion, hemp has long been a part of the Commonwealth’s story. Its production defined much of the character and function of Kentucky’s slave economy, helped build downtown industrial districts, bolstered Kentucky’s efforts during World War II, and served as a key component of UK’s early Cooperative Extension Service program. 

Today, as research poises the crop for revival, the exhibit highlights artifacts and collections that document hemp’s unique contribution to Kentucky history.

The exhibition is available for viewing 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, in the Main Lobby of UK Special Collections Research Center in the Margaret I. King Library, and is free and open to the public.

For more information on "Unraveling the Twisted History of Kentucky Hemp," contact Jaime Marie Burton, education and outreach archivist, at jmburton1@uky.edu.  

UK Special Collections Research Center is home to UK Libraries' collection of rare books, Kentuckiana, the Archives, the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, the King Library Press, the Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center, the Bert T. Combs Appalachian collection and the digital library, ExploreUK. The mission of the center is to locate and preserve materials documenting the social, cultural, economic and political history of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu