Hemp History Week: Hempstone Heritage Of Pennsylvania

Between 1720 and 1870 there were over 100 water-powered mills for processing hemp fiber in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania alone and there were dozens more in all of the surrounding counties. Lancaster County was the center of a major hemp growing region that helped provide hemp fiber as a raw material in the burgeoning Philadelphia ship-building industry.

Every ship took up to 60 tons of hemp fiber for all of the big thick anchor cables, the rope rigging and canvass sails and all that hemp had to be replaced every couple of years thus ensuring an enormous and insatiable demand for hemp from the interior of Pennsylvania.

But we didn't send all of our hemp to Philadelphia. It was also used by every farm family to provide for homespun clothing. In fact, hemp was the most important fiber for homespun, even more so than flax or wool in many years.

The fiber made all types of material, Conestoga wagon covers, grain bags, rugs, curtains, table cloths, handkerchiefs, towels, napkins, pillow cases, sheets, shirts, dresses and all implements of dress. It was sometimes blended with flax, cotton, silk or wool to achieve a variety of different textures.

There were almost as many oil mills in Lancaster County to process oil from the many tons of excess hemp seed as there were to process the fiber. The hempseed oil was used in paints, varnishes, lacquers, lubricants, soap, printers ink and used as lamp oil. The remaining seedcake was fed to the livestock.

I'll make more videos in time and you can learn more to the story. My book, Hempstone Heritage, and the rest of my research tells a unique story of the once thriving hemp industry of Pennsylvania.

Category:

Education

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• Les
• Stark
• Lancaster
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• Pennsylvania
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[RockStarAz2009]

1-800-use-hemp

Lancaster Hemp Company - Lancaster Trading House, Inc.

[Starkstone]

@RockStarAz2009 Lancaster Trading House (maker of Hempzels) is owned by my good friend Shawn Patrick House. I've been working with Shawn for about 14 years. He also has a Youtube channel, look up Hempzels.

[teasnax]

hmmm.... according to Denver records, Moses Baca [possession] and Samuel Caldwell [dealing] were busted first, shortly after FDR signed the "marihuana tax act." regardless the reason, hemp has been illegal since '37 because Anslinger never printed the stamp for it...! did PA resume production in WWII? the hemp breaks and stones were derided by Anslinger et industrial cronies. any history/artifact of decorticators [what really shook their boots] around there too? pity cannabis is unlawful.

[Starkstone]

@teasnax Well, when I say Enos Shafer was the first person arrested for "marijuana" I suppose I should have clarified that he was the first person that we know of that was arrested in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania after the start of prohibition. I have done extensive research and have not found evidence yet of growing hemp for WWII in Pa. That was mostly in the Mid West.

[420apbt4life]

how do they make it into fiber does it just get smashed?

[Starkstone]

@420apbt4life To answer your question a bit better, go to my channel and look under Favorites and look for the video called "Les Brake". I think that will illustrate it a bit better. It's a video I did ten years ago.

[RockStarAz2009]

Just a thought. That would be a show I would watch all the time ! Also check out montanahempseedfarmers. com its legal to grow hemp in Montana.... I think they would get behind this idea and help pay for the shows because it would be in their best interest.

[RockStarAz2009]

My all-time favorite PBS woodworking show was the one with Roy Underhill. No power tools Look up Roy... He Rocks ! So my Idea is to make a show to show people of today how hemp was made into clothing, oils, and the 50,000 other uses for this wonderful plant... Then show how it can be done with Modern technology. The thought is that this is how we can get the general public behind this plant and get it growing in America once more.

[teasnax]

@Starkstone ~ thanks for clarifying, friend. i'm surprised there's no evidence of WWII hemp fields in PA. i guess "Hemp for Victory" was only targeted to certain areas, even though the claim staked was that any American farmer NOT growing hemp at that time would be fined. i suppose sensationalism has always been with us, eh? thanks for your efforts and keep up the good work...!

[RockStarAz2009]

Mark... Do you have a facebook account ? If you do post it so I can get a hold of you :)

[Starkstone]

@RockStarAz2009 Hahahaha! Ummmmmm.....This guy DOES have a Youtube channel and I know him very, very well.....it's ME! lol And YES, if it was serious then hell yeah I'm on board! I made another video yesterday but I was suffering from a bad cold and allergies. Go to my page and check it out...

[RockStarAz2009]

@Starkstone Hell yea... Have all your friends view this video and I'll get right on it... We just need to find away to E-mail this guy ! And get him on board.... Just have him make a youtube channel and post his stuff...