Woodford County was one of the chief hemp-producing counties in the state. During the 1840s, the crop income reached a yearly high of $125,000, producing 900 tons of hemp annually. According to this historical marker, at one point the county had 19 ropewalks. James F. Hopkins wrote that in the 1850s, Woodford County attracted attention as one of the foremost hemp growing areas, only second to Fayette County, and that hemp my be termed its staple article. The Kentucky-Illinois Hemp Company erected a large hemp processing facility in Versailles during 1941. It served as a fiber breaking plant during WWII. Today, this marker stands as a remind of the areas rich hemp history located at the intersection of US 60 and Paynes Mill Road.