County Museum to Discuss History of the Elkhart County Fair

Museum Director Nick Hoffman will present a history of the Elkhart County Fair on Thursday, July 16 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. The program will focus on the creation of the fair in 1851 to its rebirth in 1908 after several years of idleness.

“Everyone who visits or participates in the 4-H Fair today is connected to a long history that began before the American Civil War,” says Hoffman.

In 1851 the Elkhart County Fair started on Goshen’s courthouse square and provided farmers with a venue to learn about new laborsaving devices and compete for premiums for excellence in husbandry. The fair took a break during the American Civil War, but after hostilities subsided the fair began looking for methods to generate interest and profit for urban dwellers.

Baseball games, sideshow performers, and horse races became the popular attractions starting in the early 1870s. Attendance skyrocketed due to attendance by urban residents who had little interest in farming, but wanted to participate in the entertainment features. Twenty years later the County Fair created the midway with the inclusion of a merry-go-round. Hoffman will discuss these early rides and mechanical inventions that have become common features.

“Few people are familiar with the fair’s history,” says Hoffman. “Hopefully we can provide that linkage and demonstrate how and why the fair has changed since its inception.”

Participants will view early posters, correspondence, photographs, and brochures from the fair. The program will occur in the museum’s auditorium. Attendees are encouraged to share stories of their memories at the fair. For more information please contact the museum at 574-848-4322.