Following the Civil War, farmers in Montgomery County found that the area’s climate and soil were ideal for growing tobacco. The varieties produced there were of the highest quality and won international awards in Chicago and Paris. At the height of local tobacco production, Willis had eight cigar operations, including the Willis Cigar Factory at this site. Founded by Kentucky native Capt. Thomas Wesley Smith (1829-1901), a Civil War veteran and former sheriff, the factory remained in operation until the early 1900s.