From the early successful strawberry crops of 1881-1885, Portland developed into the strawberry center of Middle Tennessee. The Portland Strawberry Growers Association was organized in 1908-1912, and by 1912 growers shipped 107 railroad cars of strawberries. Crops varied, with poor conditions reported in 1920 and good crops in 1927, followed by a peak season in 1928 when 576 train cars were shipped. By 1939, the strawberry industry supported the Strawberry Crate Company, which employed 200 workers and supplied half a million crates each year before fire destroyed it in 1948, while the Tennessee State Employment Services office provided 1,800 pickers and about 12 train car loads of strawberries were shipped each day of the season. In 1940, the Sumner County Fruit Growers Association was formed from 20 larger growers who received and shipped berries from the north end platform of the L&N Depot, and the first official Strawberry Festival drew about 5,000 people. The second festival in 1941 drew about 10,000, but from 1942 to 1945 there was no Strawberry Festival parade during World War II, although strawberries were air shipped to England during the war. In 1942 the harvest reportedly brought in $5 million, and in 1943 150,000 crates were sold from 1,200 acres at the highest prices in the industry's 30-year history. In 1944, a new strawberry capping machine developed by U.T. with TVA engineers was first used at Tennessee Frozen Foods and Kruse's processing plants, and that year's harvest brought 89,353 crates at $7.50 per crate, with 217 train carloads shipped. The Strawberry Festival and parade resumed in 1946, and in its heyday the industry attracted companies including Strawberry Crate Company, Breyer's Ice Cream processing plant, Bird's Eye frozen food plant, Tennessee Frozen Foods, Southland Co., Cleveland Buyers Co., and the Bama Company. Portland is still known for strawberries, and the Middle Tennessee Strawberry Festival continues annually, although strawberries are no longer grown there on a large scale.