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.
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