Industry
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The federal-style Alexander House was built for William W. Alexander, a state representative from 1848 to 1852. His father, William Alexander, owned a hemp factory until 1856 that was operated by 100 enslaved people, and at 600 feet it had one of the world’s longest ropewalks. Hugh D. Alexander later operated the house as a restaurant and saloon from the 1880s to 1908. Bourbon County was one of the chief hemp-producing counties, leading production in 1810 with 796 of the 5,755 tons grown in the state. Two hemp mills processed 50,000 yards of fiber per year. After a slump during the Civil War, local farmers produced 569 tons in 1870, and by 1900 production had declined, with a brief revival during the World Wars.
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Paris, Kentucky · United States
