Burley Tobacco Co. of Cynthiana - 1919 dated Kentucky Stock Certificate

Stock printed by Goes. Cynthiana, Kentucky.

The Burley Tobacco Company of Cynthiana, a prominent player in the early 20th-century tobacco industry, emerged from farmer cooperatives formed to resist the dominance of large tobacco trusts. In the early 1900s, Cynthiana became a hub for burley tobacco growers, with the Burley Tobacco Society, led by local grower Clarence Le Bus, serving as a notable cooperative. As part of this movement, the Burley Tobacco and Insurance Company was established in 1910 to manage the manufacturing, marketing, and insurance of its members’ crops. At its zenith, the cooperative amassed substantial assets, including 17 warehouses and a factory in Louisville. However, this period of grower resistance was part of a larger, sometimes violent “Tobacco Wars” where farmers fought against price-fixing by the American Tobacco Company. Ultimately, the farmers’ movement faced setbacks in this conflict.

By 1923, the cooperative’s influence waned, leading to its dissolution. The Burley Tobacco and Insurance Company sold its manufacturing assets to R.J. Reynolds and divested its other facilities, marking the end of a significant chapter of farmer-led resistance in the tobacco market. While the cooperative entity has ceased to exist, its legacy continues to shape burley tobacco production in Cynthiana and the surrounding Harrison County. Today, the Farmer’s Tobacco Company, founded by a local farming family, operates in the area, carrying on the region’s longstanding tradition of independent tobacco production.