In the early 20th century conflicts between tobacco farmers took over the region and have since become known as the Black Patch Tobacco Wars. On Saturday historians known as the Black Patch 3 are hosting a panel to shed light on the unrest and violence that once took over the region.
Kathleen Carter, the President of the St. Elmo Homemakers Association says Hopkinsville Historian William Turner, former Kentucky Justice William Cunningham and Historian Rick Gregory make up the Black Patch 3 and have researched the Tobacco Wars and how they impacted the region.
The wars occurred in western Kentucky and Tennessee. At the time, regional tobacco farmers felt as though buyers of the crop were not giving them fair prices. In response, farmers formed the Planters’ Protective Association with the goal of receiving more money for their tobacco.
Some farmers did not join the association and a conflict began between them and the farmers who were in the association. A group of farmers formed the Night Riders to pressure farmers who were not in the association to join which often led to violence.
Carter says she and husband both have ancestral ties to the war. Carter’s great-great-grandfather was a tobacco farmer during the wars and his plant beds were salted hindering crop growth and her husband’s family were also tobacco farmers who would stay awake all night to ensure their crops were not tampered with.
In the past historians have spotlighted the wars, but Carter says this is the first time that Turner, Cunningham and Gregory have come together to tell stories about the wars. Â Â
The event is set for Saturday at 6 p.m. at Glass Farms located at 8500 Bradshaw Road in Pembroke. Dinner will be included and tickets cost $15. Those interested in attending can call Carter at 270-348-3086 to purchase tickets.
Photo courtesy of the Museums of Historic Hopkinsville-Christian County