This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!
The Old-Time County Fair by Elmo Scott Watson
Elmo Scott Watson reflects on the American county fair as a rural festival shaped by modern changes. He traces its roots to Elkanah Watson and early agricultural societies, noting shifts from horse-drawn displays to car and air travel, electricity, and centralized fairs. The piece recalls early fairs in New Amsterdam and Berkshire, the role of clergy and women, and the 1819 New York legislative support that helped spread the fair across states.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Stown
America
North America
Jonesville
Eugene Wood
McClure’s
A. B. Frost
Elkanah Watson
New York
New Amsterdam
Kieft
Edmund Andres
Kermess
Washington and
Jefferson
Pennsylvania
Maine
Massachusetts
South Carolina
Washington
Congress
Columbian Agricultural Society
Georgetown
Albany
Pittsfield
Berkshire
Pittsfield Sun
Watson
Social Register
United States
Plymouth Rock
Benjamin Franklin
Paris
the Hague
John Adams
Trave
Clinton
Shirley Temple
Twentieth Century
Fox
Katharine Hepburn
Hollywood
David Selznick
Tom Sawyer
Claudette Colbert
Spoewen
Jean Hersholt
Collander
Ontario
Dionne Quintuplets
Wheeler
Woolsey
Europe
Rko-Radio
Martha Eye
Western Newspaper
Union