Hanson
Hanson, Hopkins County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
Hanson. This town, named for Henry B. Hanson, the civil engineer who planned it, was founded in 1869 and incorporated in 1873. Hanson became bustling tobacco center. "Hanson Twist" tobacco was shipped throughout the U.S. Four costly fires in 1889, 1894, 1905, and 1906, changed the town's history. Presented by Citizens for Historic Preservation.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
Named for civil engineer Henry B. Hanson, who laid it out, this Hopkins County town was founded in 1869 and incorporated in 1873. Hanson grew into a bustling tobacco center whose "Hanson Twist" tobacco was shipped across the United States. A string of costly fires in 1889, 1894, 1905, and 1906 repeatedly reshaped the town's fortunes.
Why it matters
Hanson's rise on the tobacco trade illustrates how single-crop commerce and rail shipping built—and periodically threatened—small towns across the Gilded Age Upper South.
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Related people
- · Henry B. Hanson
Themes & tags
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