As river navigation improved and Kentuckians began to manufacture hempen goods, the agriculturalists of the region became interested in the profit and potential of hemp and other Kentucky-grown fibers and produce that could be shipped down the river to new markets.
On September 13, 1794, a group met in Harrodsburg to organize the Mercer Society for the Encouragement of Agriculture, and began an inquiry into the culture of and the profits to be derived from flax, cotton, hemp, indigo, and rice. Published in Kentucky Gazette, October 11, 1794.
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Sources
Hopkins, J. (1951). A history of the hemp industry in Kentucky. University of Kentucky Press.
October 11, 1793 Edition of Kentucky Gazette.