reproductions of historical materials referencing 'kudzu', reproductions of materials relating to the history of kudzu, wires, hardware
occupying a space 27 ft L x 15 ft W x 13 ft H



A HISTORY OF KUDZU

200 BC        Kudzu used as an herbal medicine in China.

1700s          Kudzu is imported from China to Japan.

1853            Commodore Perry and his armada force Japan to open trade with the U.S.

1876            Centennial Exposition World's Fair held in Philadelphia, PA. First introduced to the public was the telephone,
                    the typewriter, the precursor to the electric light, Heinz ketchup, and Hires root beer. Kudzu was first displayed
                    here as an ornamental vine at the Japanese Bazaar.

1900s          Kudzu is planted throughout the South for it's fragrant flowers and its ability to provide shade. After planting
                    kudzu on his property in Washington DC, renowned botanist David Fairchild observed that kudzu can be
                    invasive.

1907            Florida farmers Charles and Lillie Pleas devoted their lives promoting the benefits of kudzu as an
                    agricultural and soil-saving plant.

1910–1920  Agricultural Experiment Stations across the U.S. conduct research into the benefits of kudzu for livestock forage
                    and erosion prevention.

1914–1918  World War I

1929–1940  The Great Depression

1930–1940  The Dust Bowl causes mass erosion and dust storms, destroying farmland across the U.S.

1935            The U.S. Government agency Soil Conservation Service (SCS) research confirms kudzu's effectiveness in
                    erosion control, soil improvements, and livestock feed. As a part of the New Deal, they paid farmers $8.00 per
                    acre of kudzu planted.

1938            Fairchild's warning about the invasiveness of kudzu is published.

1939–1945  World War II

1940s          The SCS produces over 73 million kudzu seedlings, and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers plant
                    them along highways and ditches. In a post-depression America, where dust bowls, erosion, low prices for
                    prices, and farm foreclosures caused abandoned lands, kudzu seemed to be a sign of hope. It grew rapidly and
                    produced nutritional, lush, green foliage.

1943            The 'father of kudzu' Channing Cope forms the Kudzu Club of America in Atlanta, GA. He proclaims kudzu to
                    be a 'miracle vine'.

1945            500,000 acres of the southeastern U.S. are planted with kudzu.

1953            Kudzu becomes increasingly difficult to control and the USDA removes it from its list of recommended cover
                    crops.

1960            Kudzu research shifts from propagation to eradication.

1970            USDA declares kudzu a weed.

1979            Kudzu begins to be regarded as part of Southern culture. Festivals, comic strips, beauty pageants, crafts and
                    cooking demonstrations are held in its honor.

1997            US Congress declares kudzu a noxious weed.

2000s          Approximately 8 million acres of land in the United States are overgrown with kudzu.