Remembering the Carmichaels Fair

Greene County loves its agricultural fairs. Although this year has created an entirely different approach to how we have a fair, Greene County is still passionate about fairs and festivals. During our history, we’ve held fairs across the county; the most notable of these is the Carmichaels Fair, the Greene County Fair in Waynesburg, and the Jacktown Fair in Wind Ridge. While the Greene County Fair and the Jacktown Fair are still ongoing fairs, many people have forgotten about the Carmichaels Fair – which spent some time also known as the Greene County Fair.

The Greene County Agricultural and Manufacturing Society held the first Carmichaels Fair in 1852 at its original location on the east side of town. The fair office, a gate, and the Exhibition hall sat along East George Street to approximately where Wood Street is now, and the fairgrounds encompassed what is now Cumberland Village and the surrounding areas. Cumberland Village was developed as a housing plan during World War II, but by that time the fair had been long gone for almost half a century.

The purpose of the fair was to exhibit farm products, livestock, and various manufactured goods, award premiums for fair entries, and to provide entertainment, especially through the races held there. To enter into the competitions, a $1 ticket had to be purchased. The ticket allowed the holder to become a member of the Society, which included holding office, voting in elections, participating in Society management, and entry to the fair.

According to an 1894 fair guide, membership tickets cost $1, a lady’s ticket, which also allowed her to make entries in exhibits, was 50 cents, single admission was 35 cents, and children age ten to twelve were 15 cents. Vehicles drawn by one or two horses were 50 cents.

The 1894 fair also provided entertainment with musical performances by the American Military Band of Pittsburgh, PA, three horse races and a bicycle race. Exhibitions included livestock, agricultural vehicles and equipment, fine arts, canned preserves, baked goods, and similar items. That year even lists headstones and monuments as part of the fine arts exhibits! Other years for the fair provided similar entertainments and exhibitions.

Starting in 1900, the fairgrounds moved a half-mile south of town to Ceylon Road (then known as Morgantown Road). There, the fair was held annually until 1935. It was also during this time, in the early decades of the twentieth century, that the fair was advertised as the Greene County Fair, due to the lack of a fair in Waynesburg. To reach the entrance gate to the fair, visitors would turn off Rt. 88 onto Fair Street and the gate was located just after where the 4th house on the right sits now – although at the time there were no houses on Fair Street. By 1920, admission had increased and membership tickets were now $1.50, single day admission was 75 cents, and children nine to twelve were 50 cents. Admission for vehicles – now including automobiles! – was 50 cents.

Attendance began to dwindle, and due to other factors, the fair ended in 1935 after 83 years of success by the Greene County Agricultural and Manufacturing Society. After the fair stopped, the area along Ceylon Road became overgrown, but remnants of the fair could be seen. Some building traces remained and the outline of the racetrack was visible. The area where the fairgrounds used to sit is now where Wana B Park and the Carmichaels Pool, opened in 1979, reside.

Thank you to the Carmichaels Area Historical Society for the pictures. More great pictures are avilable on their Facebook page. Check it out!

Published in July 2020 GreeneScene Magazine.