OCR Text |
Show OBJECT OF OUR FIRST FAIR Exhibition of Columbian Agricultural Society Devoted Mainly to Animals Ani-mals and Manufactures. The first full fledged agricultural fair, primarily for competitive exhibits exhib-its instead of for marketing, was held at the Columbian Agricultural society, which was organized in 1809 by a number of gentlemen t interested in agriculture, residing in Maryland, Virginia Vir-ginia and the District of Columbia. Its first exhibition was held in Georgetown, George-town, May 10, 1809. and the National Intelligencer of that day reported that It was "atteuded by a numerous assemblage as-semblage of members of the society, among whom we noticed the president and his lady, the secretary of state, the secretary of the treasury, the secretary sec-retary of war, the comptroller, register, regis-ter, etc., and many other ladies and gentlemen of respectability." This fair was mainly devoted to domestic do-mestic animals and manufactures. Semiannual fairs were held until the spring of 1S12, when the war with England and the expiration of the time for which the society was organized organ-ized caused its discontinuance. The oldest existing agricultural society so-ciety that holds fairs Is the Berkshire Agricultural society, Pittsfield. Mass., wliich held its first fair in the autumn of 1810. or only one and one-half years after the first fair of the Columbian Agricultural society. |