The twin engines of agriculture and transportation (seemingly disparate forces) have shaped and created much of Kentucky. Hanson, Kentucky, located on what used to be the Louisville & Nashville Railroad in Western Kentucky, was platted by the railroad and rose to fame for a tobacco brand produced in the town. The “Hanson twist” chewing tobacco was shipped out from Hanson to points all across the country. While the historic buildings associated with the tobacco industry are sadly long gone, a perfect historic commercial historic district still stands in this small community of around 800 souls.
Late 19th and early 20th century brick commercial buildings in Hanson, Kentucky.
In 1869, Judge Robert Eastwood and Reverend Roland Gooch donated 50 acres for a town site. A civil engineer working for the Evansville, Henderson & Nashville Railroad, surveyed and laid out the new town. I don’t know where Henry B. Hanson, a native of Saratoga Springs, New York, went after his work in Hopkins County, but he left his name behind as the town was christened in his honor.
Hanson in 1909 was quite the bustling place! A section of the 15-minute USGS quadrangle map showing Hanson, Kentucky.
The Post Office – always a sign of a community’s development – was established on December 7, 1869 with William Anderson serving as the first postmaster. The town was incorporated in 1873, and the presence of the railroad meant that Hanson grew into an important market center for the northern half of Hopkins County.
The opposite side of the street in the commercial district.
While the railroad laid the groundwork for Hanson, dark tobacco made it a booming success of a place. By 1900, six tobacco factories were operating near Main Street and the railroad.
The railroad still runs through Hanson.
Though the tobacco industry – both the dark and white forms of burley – exerted a powerful influence on Kentucky throughout the 20th century – the demand for products made from dark burley began to drop in the decade before World War I. Light burley and cigarettes grew in popularity, and Hanson’s time as a tobacco town was over.
As usual when I travel, I take my lunch, but I wish I’d stopped in at the Hanson Grill, and I wonder if it survived the Pandemic.
A decrease in railroad traffic followed, and the town’s fortunes faltered. But the road network didn’t completely bypass Hanson – even now the town is a short distance from the Pennyrile Parkway, which is slated to become Interstate 69.
A 1930s or 1940s corner oriented commercial building in Hanson.
I traveled north from Madisonville (the county seat) to Hanson, and then on into Webster County, exploring and wandering. But the little town of Hanson remains a high point of that particular journey, and I hope the community realizes what a treasure they hold in their compact historic district.
I love a painted sign on masonry!
Wal-Marts and convenience stores are everywhere (and are the same everywhere), and operate independently of their location. The historic core of Hanson is a compelling story, rich with layers, meaning, and time.
This looks as if the Last Picture Show (Larry McMurtry) came to western Kentucky. Seems like a neat little town and a great story about it.
You are Kentucky’s preservation chonicler. Love the Romanesque touch and craftsmanship in the brickwork in first set of buildings.
Interesting buildings. One in the first picture had a sign on the door: Peppers Old Books. I would explore that and perhaps have lunch at the Hanson Grill. Hope they survived the pandemic.