Celebrating 75 Years of Research and Education at Princeton

By Randy Weckman

“West Kentucky is progressive and it will attain great heights with this new station here. [This] farm has in it the soul of these people.”

—Dean T.P. Cooper speaking at 1925 dedication

It was quite an event. A parade of hundreds of school children marched through downtown Princeton , out Hopkinsville Road to a somewhat unimproved farm, to celebrate the dedication of a research station.

The day was hot and sultry, according to newspaper accounts and old-timers who still remember that Labor Day in 1925. And it was full of speeches commemorating a farm that was to become something for West Kentuckians. And after Governor William J. Fields spoke to the cheering crowd estimated at between 6,000 and 8,000, a team of mules was raffled.

The celebration had to do not only with the dedication of a research station that farm families in West Kentucky hoped would improve their lives— which it did— but it also showed the people around the small town of Princeton that they had a voice in Frankfort. Their representative, T.H. King of Caldwell County , had introduced a bill providing for an agricultural research substation to be established near Princeton and had that bill passed before his political rival from Graves County could have his bill and a farm near Mayfield secured for the same purpose. King stayed in Frankfort until the governor signed the bill before returning to Caldwell County . The dedication was a triumph all the way around for the folk of Princeton .

Those 400 acres of somewhat gullied and overgrown land, purchased through local subscription, have proved to be successful well beyond the wildest dreams of those who celebrated the occasion of its dedication. Recommendations derived from the research conducted there have improved farm life at least a hundredfold, if not more, for all Kentuckians.

And while the vision of those enthusiastic West Kentuckians of the 1920s has never faded, the scope and function of the station has grown with the changing needs of agriculture.

During the early years, staffing at the station consisted of a superintendent, S.J. Lowry, and an assistant, Lowry Caldwell. Research was conducted by them at the direction of scientists headquartered in Lexington . In the late 1930s, W.D. “Army” Armstrong, a horticulturist, was the first scientist based at the station. His work was to improve fruit production throughout Western Kentucky .

In the early 1950s, an agronomist and animal scientist were added to the staff at Princeton to conduct research on agronomic crops and livestock, but it wasn't until the mid to late 1960s that staffing was increased substantially. By that time, additional purchases of several small lots of land increased the number of acres at the farm to just over 1,000.

From 1969 to the present, some 25 additional faculty positions in both research and Extension have been added to the UK College of Agriculture staff at Princeton . A 35,000 square foot research and education center was dedicated in 1980. With additional purchases of land in the 1970s, the total acreage is just over 1,200 acres.

There likely won't be a parade of school children out Hopkinsville Road or a raffle of a team of mules, for that matter, this July 20 when the 75th anniversary of the dedication will be observed with a field day. Even so, the townsfolk will drive under a 40-foot banner across the main street on their way out to the farm. The celebration will be quite an event, recognizing the wisdom of the leaders of Caldwell County three-quarters of a century ago and the progress their decision has afforded to all Kentuckians.

The field day and celebration will feature the latest information on advances in agriculture. Tours conducted by faculty members will include the findings from research about grain crops, including corn, wheat, and soybeans, as well as weed management. Other tours will feature information about forages, tobacco, and beef and swine production, precision agriculture, biotechnology, and horticultural crops. In addition, there will be family and consumer sciences and youth activities and tours. A special exhibit showcasing the 75 years of history of the farm will be available for viewing.

As a land-grant institution the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture conducts research and education throughout the

Commonwealth. The Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the College, maintains permanent facilities at several locations outside of Lexington . The largest such facility is located at Princeton . “ Princeton ,” as it is usually referred to, was originally titled the West Kentucky Substation, a branch of the Experiment Station. After the new building was constructed in the ‘80s, the term “Center” began to replace the Substation designation. “ Princeton ” is now known as the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center at Princeton .

top