The Macoupin County Fair of 1859 was the sixth
annual exhibition given by the association. It was held at the fair grounds here
on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th days
of September, in that year. There was no State Fair to be considered in fixing
the date, no interurban to carry crowds to Springfield even if there had been a
state fair, and the promoters evidently had no fear of the mystic 13th since
they opened the exhibition on that day.
Twelve hundred dollars was the
total amount of the prizes offered by the association and the premium list was a
nine-page affair, printed in the office of the CARLINVILLE FREE DEMOCRAT.
The officers of the Macoupin County Agricultural and Mechanical Society that
year were: J. L. DAVIES, president; T. C. DAVIS, vice-president; W. C. WATERS,
corresponding secretary; T. L. LOOMIS, treasurer; and JOHN TUNNELL, secretary.
All were Carlinville citizens except Secretary Tunnel who was from Plainview.
The directors were PETER DENBY, and R. H. TAYLOR of Carlinville, J. A.
HUGGINS, Woodburn; HORACE LOOMIS, Chesterfield, and DAVID GORE, Plainview.
Under the head of "Local Committees" the catalogue mentions DAVID McDANIEL,
Carlinville; THOS. B. RICE, Rhoad's Point; J. SMALLEY, Woodburn; HENRY LAW,
Shipman; FRED STEIDLEY, Barr's Store; ALLEN SMITH, Clyde; JOS. HENDERSON,
Nilwood; P. SILLOWAY, Virden; SARGENT GOBBLE, Scottville; THOS. S. GELDER,
Chesterfield, B. JOHNSON, Brighton; T. J. VANDORN, Bunker Hill; HUGH CALDWELL,
Staunton; A. V. CAMPBELL, Gillespie; C. RAYMOND, Shaw's Point; CHAS. H. FINK,
Girard; T. B. ROSS, Cummington.
Isaac Moore of Carlinville was marshal
and the gate keepers were GEORGE BAIN, B. VANCIL and HENRY ASHBAUGH of
Carlinville.
The rules specified that the admission price should be
twenty-five cents. Exhibitors could get a ticket for $1 which was good whenever
presented and by paying $10 one might get a life membership ticket. All horses
and vehicles were taxed 25 cents a day for admission within the grounds.
Premiums under $5 were paid in cash. Over that amount, silver cups were awarded
of the same weight and fineness as American coin. Hay and straw were provided
free to exhibitors. The catalogue naively says: "Forty new stalls will be
constructed for stock and seats will be provided for the ladies." The stock and
the ladies being thus cared for, we are left to guess what provision was made
for the men and children.
DAVID GORE was superintendent of the Class A
thoroughbred horses, and the awarding committee was KLON ELDRED of Greene
County, S. A. BUCKMASTER of Madison County, MOSES TRUE of Bunker Hill, JOHN R.
CUNDALL of Chesterfield and RICHARD O'BANNON of Montgomery county.
In
Class B, roadsters, the committee was JAMES ANDERSON of Plainview, JONES WARD of
Greene County, JOHN M. LINDLEY of Madison county, FRANCIS BROWN of Chesterfield,
and DR. JOHN LOGAN of Carlinville.
The Class C, farm horse department
committee was SAMUEL WELCH of Plainview, T. D. MOORE of Carlinville, JAMES
RAFFERTY of Chesterfield, BARLOW QUARTON of Hoover's Point and JOSEPH LISTON of
Scottville.
In Class D, matched horses, etc., DR. E. E. WEBSTER of
Carlinville, HENRY BURTON of Bunker Hill, JOSEPH HENDERSON of Nilwood, JOSIAH
WHIPPLE of Chesterfield and NATHANIEL HENDERSON of Barr's Store, awarded the
premiums.
JOHN VIRDEN of Virden, GEORGE HARDWICK of Scott county, WILLIAM
H. ELLIS, of Greene county, JESSE B. STANLEY of Montgomery county and S. Y.
SAWYER of Madison county decided the winners of the sweepstakes.
C. A.
WALKER, HUGGINS and VAN DORN and FISHBACK & CO. offered special premiums in the
horse department. Mr. WALKER had a horse named "Gold Dust" he was proud of those
days, while HUGGINS & VAN DORN exploited "Granite State" and FISHBACK & CO.,
"St. Lawrence".
In Class F, jacks, jennets and mules, the awarding
committee was SAMUEL THOMAS of Carrollton, ISHAM LINDER of Greenfield, DR.
HEATON of Virden, MACK CARR of Chesterfield and WILLIAM H. FISHBACK of
Carlinville, all of whom were no doubt well able to consider the good points of
the long-eared animals, as well as their general "cussedness."
HORACE J.
LOOMIS superintended the cattle department and the list of judges in the four
different classes were: W. A. BLAIR, Virden; WM. CHALLACOMBE, Carlinville;
CALVIN RECKARD, Plainview; WILLIAM GILL, Bunker Hill; MERRILL BALLINGER,
Nilwood; BENJ. SANDERS, Rhoad's Point; LEWIS H. THOMAS, Virden; SAMUEL WOODS,
Jacksonville; W. B. LOOMIS, Chesterfield; SAMUEL WELCH, Plainview; ROBERT
HOLLIDAY, Plainview; J. S. KENNETT, SAMUEL WORK, HENRY KEUNE, Carlinville, JOHN
ATYEO, Woodburn.
In the hogs, sheep and poultry department the
supervision of PETER DENBY, superintendent, the judges were R. EDDY, Bunker
Hill; R. RAYMOND, Shaw's Point; HENRY MILLER, Hoover's Point; JAS. McCLURE,
Carlinville; JOHN DEWS, Chesterfield; THOS. GELDER, Chesterfield; WM. FISHBACK,
Carlinville; T. C. REYNOLDS, Carlinville; JAS. W. LUMPKIN, Chesterfield; JAMES
T. PENNINGTON, Woodburn; W. GILL, Bunker Hill; JAS. JOHNSON, Hoover's Point; J.
R. CUNDALL, Chesterfield and T. J. McREYNOLDS, Carlinville.
FENELON
TRABUE was superintendent of the farm products department. The awarding
committee were JOHN WEER, Carlinville; LEWIS SOLOMON, Palmyra; HENRY FISHBACK,
Carlinville; THOS. B. RICE, Rhoad's Point and WM. C. SHIRLEY of Staunton.
Class N was fruits and vegetables and Rev. E. McMILLEN and JOHN Q. SMITH of
Carlinville; HARVEY CARSON of Rhoad's Point; WILLIAM SIMS of Plainview and
HARVEY MADISON of Nilwood, were the judges.
SAMUEL WELTON of Plainview
was the superintendent of the mechanical department and the awarding committee
were WM. DUCKLES of Chesterfield, PETER HEINTZ of Carlinville, WM. CHALLACOMBE
of Carlinville, JESSE SMITH of Girard; and LOT BULLMAN of Bunker Hill.
Mr. WELTON also had charge of the "saddlery, hardware, etc.," department and his
judges were: WM. WRIGHT, EZRA KELLER, EDWARD MINER, Carlinville; CHAS. JOHN of
Bunker Hill and GEO. JOHNSON of Hoover's Point.
The awarding committee on
all other articles not specially mentioned was G. R. HUGHES, S. T. MAYO, J. C.
WATERS, of Carlinville; G. A.. W. CLOUD, of Virden; and JAS. RAFFERTY of
Chesterfield.
Of the women who made this fair a success, we shall speak
in a later article, stopping now to look over some of the quaint things for
which prizes were offered.
A number of prizes for corn were offered, to
be awarded on December 1, after the close of the fair, and for the greatest
yield of timothy hay on one acre, to be stacked out and entered by August 1, $10
was offered. A committee of the association visited the fields and measured the
hay between the 1st and 10th of September.
The best "underground
drainer", whatever that was, the best pork barrel, the best window sash and
blinds, the best bedstead, best wardrobe and best table took prizes at this
fair. This was not the day of furniture factories and these things were made by
the good mechanics of the county right here at home, from lumber sawed from our
native trees.
The best pair of gents' fine boots, best pair of gents'
coarse boots and best lot of tinware were also listed for prizes, but not a word
about shoes, which became popular long after this fair was held.
These
and many other things that seem odd to us were among the exhibits at Macoupin's
sixth annual fair, which was a great event then, greater than it is now,
perhaps, but the pioneers of that day whose names are given herein built so well
in their fair association work that the association still lives and does
splendid work and the Macoupin County Fair is still an annual event long after
other county fairs, started since 1859, have relapsed into a state of innocuous
desuetude, and the fair grounds where they flourished are long since done away
with.
Typed and contributed 2001 by Sue McMurry, extracted from Macoupin County Enquirer, Carlinville, Illinois, 22 Mar 1911, page 5.
Macoupin County ILGenWeb Copyright
Design by
Templates in Time
This page was last updated
07/01/2022