Factoid #6 – George Washington grew Hemp
Not many know that our first president and founding father, George Washington, grew fields of hemp at Mount Vernon for the American Revolution movement, as well as for profit.
Hemp products were used daily by colonists, fishermen of the region and even indigenous natives. The Colonial Navy demanded a great deal of hemp for weaving and stitching sails due to its durability and strength. The Colonial Army used hemp for their tents and duffle bags. Hemp sacks were often used in shipping grains, sugar, and other supplies to troops. Washington even preferred hemp paper to write on as it lasted much longer than regular paper making way for the first draft of the Declaration of Independence that was also made from Hemp. Without the contribution of industrial hemp, it’s difficult to speculate what the course or outcome of our country would have been like after 1776.
George Washiongton grew hemp even after the Revolutionary War effort
