Portland - Strawberry Capital of Middle Tennessee

Portland - Strawberry Capital of Middle Tennessee. . .1881-1885 - Strawberry crops were first known to be grown here successfully. , .1908-1912 - Portland Strawberry Growers Association was organized, involving several local growers, and 107 railroad cars of strawberries were shipped out in 1912., .1920 - The June issue of Strawberry Items magazine reported poor Tennessee crops that year, describing them as "badly water soaked from the rain and cold.", .1927 - Good strawberry crops were reported, with 109 train cars of strawberries shipped from Portland., .1928 - This season was reported as peak for Portland, with 576 train cars of strawberries shipped out., .1939 - Portland's main industry was reported to be the Strawberry Crate Company that employed 200 workers, supplying half a million strawberry crates every year, in addition to strawberry quarts and cheese hoops. It was totally destroyed by fire in 1948., .1939 - TN State Employment Services' office supplied 1,800 pickers for strawberry season, with about 12 train car loads of strawberries shipped from Portland each day of the season., .1940 - The Sumner County Fruit Growers Association was formed, made up of 20 of the larger strawberry growers, who received and shipped berries from the north end platform of the L&N Depot., .1940 - The first official Strawberry Festival held May 16-18 was advertised in the newspaper as "A Celebration to Open Berry Harvest" and drew a crowd of about 5,000, with Marjorie Culbreath Langford chosen as the first Strawberry Festival Queen. Tennessee Governor Prentice Cooper was said to be on hand., .1941 - The second Strawberry Festival drew about 10,000 people, with the Reading Shows Carnival in town, and Congressman Albert Gore, Sr. was fiddler for the square dance., .1942-1945 - During world war two, out of respect for our soldiers far from home, there was no Strawberry Festival parade. Strawberries were air shipped to England during the war., .1942 - Strawberry harvest reportedly brought in $5 million. Most of the labor was brought in by truck from surrounding areas and "pickers" averaged earning $3 per day for some back breaking work., .1943 - June 4 edition of the USP reported: "Million-dollar harvest closes today. 150,000 crates of berries were sold from 1,200 acres, bringing the highest prices in the 30-year history of the industry.", .1944 - A new strawberry capping machine developed by U.T. in cooperation with TVA engineers was first used here at Tennessee Frozen Foods and Kruse's processing plants. The June 1944 report was that the berry harvest of 89,353 crates brought $7.50 per crate, with 217 train carloads shipped out., .1946 - Strawberry Festival and parade resumed in May after the end of world war two when the US. and Allies won the war in August 1945. Marie Cummings was the first Strawberry Queen selected since 1941. She was crowned by Gov. Jim McCord., .1956 - Elmer Hinton (USP) edited and published the Caney Fork Bugle, as an official paper of the Strawberry Festival, providing everything one needed to know about the annual event., .In its "heyday" the strawberry industry brought the following companies to Portland: Strawberry Crate Company; Breyer's Ice Cream processing plant; Bird's Eye frozen food plant; Tennessee Frozen Foods; Southland Co.; Cleveland Buyers Co.; and the Bama Company., .Portland is still known for strawberries, and the Middle Tennessee Strawberry Festival is still celebrated annually, although they're no longer grown here on a large scale. , Source (USP) Upper Sumner Press newspaper and Portland's Sesquicentennial Book (2004)