1879 Fair of the Erie County Agricultural Society

According to the Premium List for the Fair, the twenty-first annual fair of the Erie County Agricultural Society was held in Erie County at the Fairgrounds from September 23 to September 26, 1879.

Entries in the Annual Premium List provided the amount of cash awards to be given to residents of Erie, Sandusky, Ottawa and Huron Counties who competed at the Fair in a wide variety of categories, including livestock, farm implements, manufacturers’ products, fruits, vegetables, handmade clothing, quilting, embroidery, photography, and flower arranging. In the Educational Department, students and teachers were awarded diplomas for excelling in such fields as spelling, reading, attendance, and record keeping. Scattered throughout the Premium List are advertisements from local companies.

The Adams’ Buckeye Land Roller was manufactured by the Sandusky Tool Company at the time of the 1879 Fair. This particular piece of equipment was known for its durability, though simple in design.

The Sandusky Register provided excellent coverage of the activities at the Fair. A large article on page 4 of the September 26, 1879 paper reported on the events of September 25, when it was estimated that fifteen thousand people attended the Fair.

On Thursday, there were horse races held at the Fairgrounds, as well as several teams that competed in a Hook and Ladder Tournament. John Krupp, who exhibited several pieces of furniture, also had on display a burglar-proof air-tight grave vault which was designed for protection against grave robbers.

At the fair, William Dilger had a display of plants that included an orange tree, a rare philodendron and a bridal bouquet of rare beauty. Photographer A.C. Platt featured a life size crayon portrait of President Hayes and Dr. I.B. Massey in his exhibit. D.C. Richmond stated that at the 1879 fair was the largest and best display of apples he had ever seen at any fair. Henry Lange, a grape grower from Kelleys Island, showed fair visitors a five foot stem of Concord grapes which contained over sixty bunches of grapes. During the wheat binding competition, local businessman J.A. Hosmer attempted to place a live pig inside a hot air balloon. It turned out that the young pig became too restless, so it was removed from the balloon. It was decided instead to place business cards from area merchants, as well as a copy of the Sandusky Register and a publication from the Erie County Agricultural Society inside the hot air balloon. Fair crowds grew excited as the hot air balloon headed to the north, toward the Marblehead peninsula. To read much more about the exciting 1879 Fair, visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center where you will find decades of local newspapers on microfilm, dating back to 1822.

Letter from Horace Greeley to Andrew W. Prout, Jr.

Apparently Andrew W. Prout, Jr. had invited Horace Greeley to a meeting of the Erie County Agricultural Society in 1871. Mr. Greeley was unable to attend, and he sent a letter of regret to Mr. Prout. The letter read:

Aug. 26, 1871

Dear Sir:            I will not be able to service west of the Ohio so long as will be required by attendance at your fair, and must respectfully decline your invitation.Yours,Horace Greeley 

Mr. A.W. Prout, Jr.Treasurer, Ag. Soc.Sandusky, Ohio

Horace Greeley was a politician and the long-time editor of the New York Tribune, which he founded in 1841. He ran unsuccessfully as the Democratic candidate for President just before his death in 1872. Mr. Andrew W. Prout, Jr. , born in Bloomingville in 1837, was a prominent Erie County businessman.

He was in the banking business for over forty years, and he served as Treasurer of several organizations, including the Erie County Agricultural Society and the Erie County Farmers’ Insurance Company.

Agriculture Has Played a Key Role in the History and Development of Erie County

Before the 1800s, nearly all Ohioans earned their living through agriculture. Even as industrialization expanded in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, agriculture remained and continues to play an important role in our economy. A 2012 Census of Agriculture indicated that there were over 300 farms in Erie County, Ohio, with over 83,000 acres of farm land in the county. The market value of agricultural products sold was worth more than $88,000,000 dollars. The top crops in Erie County were listed as soybeans and corn. 

Several items in the Sandusky Library Archives Research and Sandusky Library reflect the importance of agriculture to our area. This is a ribbon from the Erie County Fair held in 1856:

             

The 1874 and 1896 historical Erie County atlases show the locations and property owners of the farms in rural Erie County. In the holdings of the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center are several ribbons and premium booklets from past Erie County Fairs, primarily from the nineteenth century. 

Man local citizens have been recognized over the years for their agricultural skills and innovations. Erie County resident Wells W. Miller served as Ohio’s ninth Secretary of Agriculture, from 1894 to 1906. The medal below was presented to Charles J. Messer for his corn sheller at the 1858 Ohio State Fair, which was held in Sandusky. Mr. Messer’s threshing factory was located at the corner of Water and Warren Streets. An early annual report the Ohio State Board of Agriculture reported that Messer’s power corn sheller had no superior.

The Hero Reaper was manufactured by the Sandusky Machine and Agricultural Works in the 1880s.

The well-known Hoover Potato Digger was made at the same time in Avery, just a short distance south of Sandusky. Using the wealth derived from the invention, the Hoover family became prominent investors in the Lakeside Chautauqua community in Ottawa County. 

In 1911 the National Corn Exposition was held in Columbus, Ohio from January 30 to February 11.  Milton Earle donated this ribbon from the Corn Exposition to the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center.

The National Corn Exposition of 1911 featured exhibits from thirty five states. Scientific displays were exhibited by over twenty agricultural colleges and agricultural experimental stations. The National Corn Banquet was held on February 3, 1911, and President Taft spoke at the Exposition on February 10. 

If you would like to learn more about the history of agriculture in Ohio, there are many books available for loan through the ClevNet system on the topic of farms in Ohio.

Fourth of July Celebration in Sandusky in 1889

During the latter part of June, 1889, George Frohman spent three days putting up posters all over Erie County, informing residents of the upcoming Fourth of July Celebration to be held in Sandusky. According to a lengthy article in the July 5, 1889 issue of the Sandusky Register, the July Fourth Celebration in 1889 was a huge success. The weather was perfect, and people came from near and far for the festivities. The day’s events began with a concert by the Great Western Band. A parade was held at 10 a.m. and included the bicycle club, the Great Western Band, City Police and Firemen, men from the McMeens Post G.A.R., the G.A.R. Drum Corps, and many city officials. Several businesses had floats in the parade. The Sandusky Wheel Company, Sandusky Box Company, Germania Basket Company, Sandusky Tool Company, Sandusky Ice Company, and many other manufacturers and merchants from Sandusky participated in the parade. The Weier Brothers Scrapyard had a display of junk on a wagon for the parade.

At 1 p.m., the crowd proceded to the Fair Grounds, where Major E.B. King gave a stirring patriotic address. At 2 p.m., a variety of races were held,  which included horse and goat races, a bicycle race, foot race, and a farmers’ wagon race. After the races, the crowd was mesmerized as Professor King Burk went 1,000 feet up into the sky in a hot air balloon. After he cut the ropes from the balloon, he abruptly landed in a field near the railroad. The Fouth of July festivities concluded with a display of fireworks held at the Grandstand at the Fair Grounds from 8:30 to 10:30. (In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the Erie County Fair Grounds were located on Wayne Street, south of Scott Street.)

An article in the July 5, 1889 Sandusky Register stated that the “parade was a dandy,” and that the executive committee had done a fine job. Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to read the complete article about the 1889 Fourth of July festivities, in the 1889 Sandusky Register, now on microfilm.

Calvin Caswell, Erie County Commissioner

Having settled in Margaretta Township in 1838, Calvin Caswell was one of the largest wheat producers in Erie County. Mr. Caswell was an Erie County Commissioner from 1863 to 1868. He served as president of the Erie County Agricultural Society for a number of years. Caswell was also a member of the Margaretta Grange, and had served as a fifer for the Bay City Guards. An engraving of Mr. Caswell’s farm from the 1874 Erie County Atlas is pictured below. Calvin Caswell was married twice, first to Louisa Ellison, and then to Serena Jackson Caswell. (After Calvin’s first wife died, he married his brother Daniel’s wife, who had become a widow in 1855.)

On February 7, 1879, Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Caswell hosted a dinner for the members of the Erie County Agricultural Society. A napkin, which was a gift to the Follett House Museum, reads: “Welcome All, Grand Circuit of Feasting and Not Fasting.”
Calvin Caswell died in May of 1907. The Sandusky Register featured a lengthy obituary, which stated in part: “In the presence of hundreds of kindred and friends, farmers and citizens from the varied walks of business and professional life, the funeral of the late Calvin Caswell was held at the family home in Margaretta Saturday afternoon. The body of the deceased reposed in a magnificent casket of the McKinley pattern, surrounded by the rarest of flowers, and rising back and above a large floral crown, a Gates Ajar several feet in height, while at the head rested a pillow of carnations.” Calvin Caswell was buried in the family plot at Castalia Cemetery. A large sculpture was erected by Mr. Caswell several years before his death. A biographical sketch of Calvin Caswell is found in Patty Pascoe’s book, Elected to Serve Erie County, Ohio, available at Sandusky Library.