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of Warren County and Bowling Green By 1828 Bowling Green was a principal economic center in Warren County and south central Kentucky. The economic base of Warren County and Bowling Green has changed significantly over the years. In 1893, 93% of the residents of Warren County lived in rural areas and worked as farmers. By 1980, only 34% of Warren County residents lived and worked in rural areas. The chief agricultural
products of Warren County's 546 square miles are corn, tobacco,
wheat, hay, and soybeans, with tobacco being the leading cash
crop. Tobacco's importance increased early in the nineteenth
century, as transportation to southern markets down the Barren,
Green, Ohio and Mississippi rivers became available. Related
businesses such as warehouses, redryers, handlers, auctioneers
and brokers also developed. Warren County farmers today sell
more than ten million dollars worth of tobacco annually at auctions
in Bowling Green and Plano. The dairy industry has contributed significantly to the Warren County economy. Beginning in the 1920s through the early 1970s, area dairies and condenseries annually produced tens of thousands of pounds of dairy products including milk, ice cream, cottage cheese, cream, butter and whipping cream. Residents in Warren, Logan, Simpson, Butler, Barren and Edmonson counties were the primary consumers of these products. Although their numbers have declined, Warren County dairies still produce more than six million dollars worth of milk annually. According to travelers' accounts, wild strawberries were so abundant when the first white settlers entered Warren County they stained the legs of horses and cattle red. Eventually, improved, domesticated varieties were introduced, and growers began selling the surplus locally. Production grew early in this century until growers shipped tens of thousands of crates to various American cities. Market forces changed, however, and strawberries ceased to be a major cash crop by the late 1950s. The erection of gristmills
along waterways soon followed the movement of settlers into Warren
County, and the County Court spent much of its time responding
to mill site petitions. Mills were important because travel was
limited and difficult. As a result, early settlers relied on
the local miller for ground cornmeal and flour. |
