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The Reconstruction & Kentucky

Unread postPosted: Tue May 10, 2005 4:27 pm
by bunghole
Once the cause for Southern Independance was lost, how did this effect Kentucky and the distilling industry?

Unread postPosted: Fri May 13, 2005 4:50 pm
by cowdery
Kentucky distillers did well during the War of Northern Aggression, as they sold whiskey to both sides. As was true in many industries, distillers came out of the war operating on an industrial scale. The war had introduced and popularized the concepts of standization and mass production. The biggest boons for Kentucky's distillers in the years following the war were the expansion of railroads into the west and the growth of northern cities.

Unread postPosted: Wed May 18, 2005 5:45 pm
by bourbonv
Linn,
As you know Kentucky remained loyal to the United States and never joined the Confederacy. That means the state was spared most of the economic horrors of re-construction. The distilling industry was like any other business in Kentucky and had to deal with damages of 4 years of bushwacking by forces loyal to either side and a couple of major battles. Farms were damaged and the slave labor was now free. It took some time to get crops in and roads safe to travel, but by the end of 1866 things were getting back to normal.

As Chuck said, the distilleries sold to both sides of the war and for the most part avoided destruction at the hands of bushwackers and raiders. They did have to deal with a new tax that was not going away and registration of their warehouses. By the end of the decade there are a lot of distilleries that are expanding and other new companies being formed. Compared to other southern industries, the distilleries did all right.

Mike Veach