William
Hemp History ►
Pearls of Wisdom
From hemp to hearth , an exploration into the historic journey of the Pearl Family Farm of Platte County , MO .
Industrial hemp ’ s complex history in Missouri began in 1835 .
by Ari Fish , contributing writer
“
McClung Paxton owned Milton . Of course , we call him Uncle Milty . Milton was born in 1813 ,” said Mr . Micheal Pearl , explaining the origins of his family coming to the area in a matter-of-fact manner , not unlike the direct way he ’ s explained tractor engine repair to me in real-time before . I should note that there are very few people in my world that I refer to so formally , and Mr . Pearl is one of them . He has been one of my greatest mentors , and I just cannot refer to him by his first name –– out of sheer respect .
Mr . Pearl ’ s cadence is blunt but inviting , quick yet warm . A mountain of a man whose presence is felt before he even speaks , Mr . Pearl is always in motion . In fact , he may be the busiest man in all of Platte County .
We speak in sprints in the fields , in the greenhouses , in the family barn , and on the phone . I ’ m always five paces behind him , attempting to catch up . The knowledge of regenerative farming and family history I ’ ve gleaned from Mr . Pearl is woven together , intertwined by the backdrop of his 100-acre Century Farm in western Platte County , just outside Kansas City . Each pearl of wisdom is visually embedded in my mind with a farming task .
While helping to repair a potato planter from the 1940s in his red barn , Mr . Pearl explained to me a gruesome story passed down through generations about the treatment of those who were enslaved at the Miller Plantation , the area where the Kansas City Airport now resides . On the western side of his farm , we planted potatoes as he told me that sometimes he finds pieces of fine china from his family ’ s past . We stood on the northern ridge of the southside of his farm and discuss how to farm alongside the notoriously invasive Johnson Grass . He then pointed west and then east , and our
The Pearl Family photo from the early 1900 ’ s with David Pearl , his wife , Mary , their son , Clifford , and David ’ s nephew .
The Pearl Family Farm at sunset . ( Photo by Ari Fish )
conversation evolved into a historical account of the Ku Klux Klan in the area and how the family managed to protect the border-wars adjacent farm from local white supremacists over the years through the Second Amendment .
More recently , after assisting in raising the metal bracing for his third high tunnel greenhouse , used predominantly for his famous tomato varieties , we walked toward the train tracks . Mr . Pearl looked back at the mollisol soil ( rich , dark soil ) and explained that the current field we stood upon was farmed for hemp in the mid-1800s and beyond .
“ I do know from the old timers that were working hemp that cotton was a day in the park compared to working with hemp . Your hands would be bloody and pounded ,” Mr . Pearl explained . “ Everyone had a quota .”
The story of the Pearl Family Farm begins with Milton Pearl . Born Milton Paxton in 1812 in Mason , KY , Milton came to Platte County enslaved by W . M . Paxton , a well-educated man who quickly became a reputable lawyer and official in the area . Upon being freed , Milton changed his last name from Paxton to Pearl .
I asked Mr . Pearl how Milton landed on his last name . “ Well , he must have thought , ‘ I am done with this name . I ’ m done with this piece .’ His name is Pearl .”
Milton had a son , David , Mr . Pearl ’ s great-grandfather , born into slavery in 1852 , whose last name also became Pearl upon gaining his freedom . David Pearl , while enslaved on the Paxton Hemp Plantation in Platte County , managed to exceed his quota of cutting and bundling hemp , eventually earning him enough funds to start saving for land of his own .
18 September 2024