Untitled Document

HENDERSON COUNTY AGRICULTURAL BOARD

The first agricultural society of Henderson county having the appearance of organization met and held its fair at Oquawka, in the street, near the county court-house on October 24, 1855, under the man agement of the following board of officers : Samuel Darnell, presi dent ; Col. Samuel Hutchinson, Isaac Van Tuyl and John Curts, vice- presidents ; Hiram Rose, recording secretary ; E. H. N. Patterson, corresponding secretary ; W. D. Henderson, treasurer. and E. Chapin, John Cooper, N. H. Davis, John Curts and John B. Fort, executive committee

. By the time of the next annual meeting the executive committee had secured and enclosed suitable grounds a little southeast of the village of Oquawka, where the citizens of Henderson county continued to meet and exhibit their stock and other interesting articles of their county's production up to and including the year 1866. The incompatibility of holding the fair so remote from the center of the county had begun to be felt and talk of removal freely indulged in, and to this end the newly elected executive committee and official board, in session on the fair ground, resolved to meet at Biggsville May 25, 1867, to receive bids and hear arguments as to a more central and at the same time suitable location. Biggsville and vicinity was equal to the occasion and generously raised by subscription $1,684, which was used in fencing and fitting up in suitable shape the beautiful piece of land about one mile south of town, the use of which was donated to the society free of charge by the enterprising Adam Sloan for a term of six years.

This offer, it is needless to say, was accepted, and the next exhibition of farm produce, fine herds and fast horses took place on the new fair grounds at Biggsville in October, 1867, and proved a decided success. The by-laws of this society require that on the last day of each annual fair the board of officers for the ensuing year shall be elected, and in accordance with this law the old board, which was composed of Robert Gibson, president ; E. Hollingsworth and A. McDougall, vice-presidents ; H. F. McAllister, recording secretary ; S. McAllister, corresponding secretary and. treasurer; Col. Samuel Hutchinson, Samuel McElhinney, 0. W. Milliken, John H. 'Rice and William Tharp, executive committee, retired, giving place to Samuel Hutchinson, ,president ; Preston Martin and R. A. McKinley, vice-presidents ; A. R. Graham, treasurer ; R. S. McAllis ter, corresponding secretary ; IL F. McAllister, recording secretary ; A. McDougall, Jos. S. King, M. H. Mills, John H. Rice and John B. Fort, executive committee.

The next change of any importance to note, with reference to this organization, was the expiration of their lease to the ground. This was, however, arranged by renting the same of Mr. Sloan at a rental of $150 per year, which was soon found to be too heavy a tax on their receipts, and a movement was accordingly put on foot by the citizens of the county to purchase the land, 15 1/2 acres in the S. W. of Sec. 21. T. 10, R. 4, of Mr. Sloan. This was a fortunate Step, at least to the Henderson county agricultural board, as a contract between them and the purchasers of the land secured to them, at comparative small cost, the use of a commodious and well arranged fair ground. Since then, and in fact since its removal to Biggsville, the fair has been a success in display, but not in finances.

It is now under the supervision of the following efficient board : Paul D. Salter, president ; Thomas G. Richey, vice-president ; and John H. McDougall, Elijah Beal, I. H. M. MeQuown, James Duke, J. H. Woods, Joseph Linell, Com. P. Davidson and Paul D. G-ibb, executive committee ; R. A. McKinley, recording secretary ; Geo. W. Holmes, corresponding secretary ; Geo. McDill, treasurer.

As above stated, a number of the citizens of the county, especially those having the interest of the fair at heart, purchased the land and formed themselves into a joint stock company ; was incorporated January 12, 1880, in accordance with the state laws as the Henderson County Agricultural Fair Ground Corporation, and now control $1,200 in stock, which is divided in shares of $10 each, on which they receive from the agricultural board ten per cent in gate tickets. They are under the guardianship of a board of directors, of whom A. L. Porter has been president since they became an incorporate body. For the interest of the general readers it might be here mentioned that the official members of the agricultural board, after they had decided on removal to Biggsville, met and procured men and teams to go to Oquawka with a view to also removing the old fair ground outfit, but their return empty is evidence that they had no legal claim to the property. The friend of the Oquawka faction held a fair on the old grounds the season of 1867, which was the last effort to sustain a second institution in that line in the county.

History of Mercer and Henderson Counties.