i know the one they use now was moved there in 1976, and the orginal was in branchville. it says that on their site. does anyone know where in branchville, or know the website on it?
thanks,
whitesid
thanks,
whitesid
sussex county fair grounds
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Zincoln Miner
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a while back doing research there was a 19th century fairgrounds around lake grinnel near
lafayette.I figure the place dotted with houses and too busy to head that way anyway.something around mcafe rings a bell too.I am sure a local historical society will help and the locals too.an old map showing a RR depot nearby may help pinpoint location as well.I have donated (happily accepted) relics to a helpful historical society once.
lafayette.I figure the place dotted with houses and too busy to head that way anyway.something around mcafe rings a bell too.I am sure a local historical society will help and the locals too.an old map showing a RR depot nearby may help pinpoint location as well.I have donated (happily accepted) relics to a helpful historical society once.
geo4472
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the following is an excert from the history of branchville which is the locaction of the sc farm and horse show. "In the meantime Mr. William L. Bass had arrived in Branchville and purchased the Isaiah Hornbeck property of 143 acres on Route #519 located on the outskirts of town which would have been behind the Catholic Church between the brook and Route #519" i hope this helps you
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This may help:
History of the New Jersey State Fairgrounds
Grounds For Sculpture is located on a site that was formerly part of the New Jersey State Fairgrounds. The Domestic Arts Building, was an exhibit hall built in the 1920s to house displays of handicrafts, needlework, canned goods, and other practical arts relating to the home. The Motor Exhibits Building across the courtyard also dates from that period. The steel-framed Museum building was constructed approximately twenty years later to shelter the exhibits of goats, rabbits, and other small livestock. It was moved to the current site from its former location in what is now the courtyard between the Domestic Arts and Motor Exhibits Building.
Fairs were held intermittently in Trenton Township since 1745 when King George II granted a royal charter allowing them for the purpose of buying and selling livestock and other merchandise. This charter provided for the first fair in Colonial America. The twice-a-year event, held in April and October, lasted until the township charter was surrendered five years later. In 1797 State Legislature banned all fairs until a revision was sought by the State Agricultural Society in 1858. Fairs were held sporadically in the mid-1880s by various agricultural organizations at locations in the Trenton area and thoroughbred horse racing was billed as a main attraction.
Local prominent businessmen, wanting to establish the fair as an annual event with a permanent location and a racetrack, organized the Inter-State Fair Association in 1888. More than one hundred acres were purchased, which includes the present-day acreage of the sculpture park.
The Inter-State Fairs were a huge success, drawing crowds to view the displays of various breeds of horses, cattle and other livestock, agricultural products and farming equipment, culinary arts and needlework. Midway attractions, entertainment featuring daredevil stunts, and horse races were always popular with the spectators. Special events held that first year included a shooting match between Annie Oakley and Miles Johnson, and demonstrations of horsemanship and lassoing by cowboys and Indians from Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show. Parachutists jumping from hot-air balloons thrilled audiences in the 1890s. Starting at the turn of the century, death defying shows starring pioneers of aerial navigation, including Harriet Quimby, one of the first women to hold a pilot's license, and automotive racing, were booked to entertain the crowds filling the grandstand. As horses were replaced by automobiles for transportation, cars became the main attraction on the fairground's racetrack.
"Lucky" Teter and his Hell Drivers made the headlines in the 1930s; in the sixties it was midget car races and a 200-mile race for Indianapolis cars and drivers. The area referred to as the "sculpture pad" in Grounds For Sculpture brochures was originally the foundation for the grandstand extension.
By the 1970s attendance was dwindling along with profits, and interest by the owner of the property turned from entertainment to development. In 1980 the land was sold and the New Jersey State Fair was held for the last time on this site.
Timeline
1745 Original Fair Charter given by King George II
1750 Surrender of Borough Charter
1777 Elkanah Watson (Father of the American County Fair) -- First visit to Trenton, N.J.
1858 State Agricultural Society -- Fair Revival -- 3 Day Event
1928 Exhibition of Flying Craft organized by Trans-Atlantic flier Clarence D. Chamberlin
1937 New Jersey State Fair -- Golden Jubilee Year -- 50th Anniversary Celebration
1938 Lucky Teter and His Hell Drivers perform auto stunts -- Teter billed as "King of Daredevils" with "World's Greatest Thrill Show"
1939 Fair sold to George A. Hamid (amusement promoter)
1945 200th Anniversary of First Trenton Fair -- Organized by George A. Hamid
4-H Club Dedication of their new Exhibition Building
Thomas Edison Exhibition featured -- Early Inventions on display
1950
Grandstand features radio celebrity Johnny Olsen and singer Roy Acuff & His Rocky Mountain Boys/Girls along with the cast of the Grand Ole Opry
1964
77th Annual State Fair features Celebration of New Jersey's 300th Birthday -- Opening Day billed as "Tercentenary Day"
First Miss N.J. State Fair Crowned
Tercentenary Historical Building & Civil War Building feature special Exhibitions
Dick Clark & Bobby Vinton are featured entertainers
Horse Shows featured in Coliseum
Closing Event was a 200 mile race for Indianapolis race cars
1966 "The State Fair with the World's Fair Flair" -- N.J. State Fair Buildings get a $250,000 "face-lift" with 60s bright Gold & Green checkerboard facades and new outdoor lighting systems
1966 Action Exhibits & Demonstations replace "still-type" Exhibits
First Dog Show at Fair
1967 "Authentic Vietnam Village" provided by U.S. Recruiting Service was featured exhibit at Fair
"Your Stake in the Atom" -- U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Exhibit -- Live demos on uses of nuclear power -- Remote control hands a popular display in Atomic Exhibit
Golden Knights of Fort Bragg, N.C., The Bolling Air Base Pipe Band and Drill Team, and Your Father's Mustache Banjo Band were featured performers
Ladies Day coincides with Arnold Constable Day -- Fashion Show featured
1971 Trenton International Speedway -- Marlboro Championship Trial Race
1974 State Fair in Decline! -- Urban Decay, Race Relations, and competition with Great Adventure cited as causes -- George Hamid Jr. petitions Governor Brendan T. Byrne for State subsidy
1980 Louis Traiman Auction Co. of Philadelphia auctions off N.J. State Fairgrounds -- Bids are really low -- Stryker Macine Products buys 5 1/2 acre Hamilton Township tract of Fairgrounds property
1984 Atlantic Foundation purchases old Fairgrounds property adjacent to the Johnson Atelier
1988 Grounds For Sculpture receives Preliminary Site Plan Approval
1989 Construction begins on Grounds For Sculpture
1866 Central Agricultural Society of N.J. purchase of land for New Jersey State Fairgrounds -- Staged the first Fair at this site
1867 Opening of Permanent Exhibition Buildings & a mile-long Race Track -- Billed as "Finest Exhibition of Race Horses in the East"
1871 Land sold to Henry W. Smith -- Established Fashion Stud Farm
1885 Mercer County Board of Agriculture holds First Fair on Old Trenton Baseball Club Grounds
1886 Second Annual Mercer County Agricultural Fair Association Exhibition
1887 Mercer County Board of Agriculture revived the Fair -- Agricultural displays only -- No more racing!
1888 Formation of Inter-State Fair Association -- Inspired by John Taylor (Trenton Businessman, Head of the Board of Trade, Civic Leader, Founder of the Taylor Opera House)
New Jersey State Fair Opens -- Complete with a Grandstand and Half-Mile Track -- Two Exhibition Buildings erected for Opening -- 50,000 in attendance
Belva Ann Bennet Lockwood (Suffragist -- 1st Woman Pres. Candidate) gives campaign speech
Annie Oakley vs. Miles Johnson shooting match -- Annie Oakley wins!
Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show Cowboys in an Exhibition of Horsemanship & Lassooing!
1888-
99 John Guild Muirhead (leader of Trenton's pottery industry) -- Manager of the Fair
1891 The Great Interstate Fair -- Trenton, N.J. -- "Unapproached in Excellence of Exhibits and Magnitude of Attendance"
1893 Public Schools Declare "Big Thursday" and "Children's Day" official Holidays in area schools
1895 The Great Interstate Fair -- Trenton, N.J. -- "Agricultural Circus of the East"
1900 Fair features the First Novelty Series of Automobile Races
1905 The Lewis Airship makes daily flights from the Fair to the Broad St. Bank Building
1909 First Exhibition Airplane Flights -- Billy Taylor booked Grandstand Shows -- Wright Brothers and Ralph Johnstone perform aerial stunts
Three Dollar Prize given to "Largest Cat of Any Kind" -- One Dollar Prize for "Best Nightengale" --Three Dollar Prize for "Best Colony of Italian Bees" -- Fifty Cents went to "Best Pen Wiper"
1911 Harriet Quimby (magazine editor & daring flier) performs aerial stunts -- She was distinguished as one of only two women with an aviator license at that time
1921 New Jersey Exhibition Building erected to house State Department Exhibitions
1927 Trenton Fair -- "Mammouth Exposition's 40th Year"
History of the New Jersey State Fairgrounds
Grounds For Sculpture is located on a site that was formerly part of the New Jersey State Fairgrounds. The Domestic Arts Building, was an exhibit hall built in the 1920s to house displays of handicrafts, needlework, canned goods, and other practical arts relating to the home. The Motor Exhibits Building across the courtyard also dates from that period. The steel-framed Museum building was constructed approximately twenty years later to shelter the exhibits of goats, rabbits, and other small livestock. It was moved to the current site from its former location in what is now the courtyard between the Domestic Arts and Motor Exhibits Building.
Fairs were held intermittently in Trenton Township since 1745 when King George II granted a royal charter allowing them for the purpose of buying and selling livestock and other merchandise. This charter provided for the first fair in Colonial America. The twice-a-year event, held in April and October, lasted until the township charter was surrendered five years later. In 1797 State Legislature banned all fairs until a revision was sought by the State Agricultural Society in 1858. Fairs were held sporadically in the mid-1880s by various agricultural organizations at locations in the Trenton area and thoroughbred horse racing was billed as a main attraction.
Local prominent businessmen, wanting to establish the fair as an annual event with a permanent location and a racetrack, organized the Inter-State Fair Association in 1888. More than one hundred acres were purchased, which includes the present-day acreage of the sculpture park.
The Inter-State Fairs were a huge success, drawing crowds to view the displays of various breeds of horses, cattle and other livestock, agricultural products and farming equipment, culinary arts and needlework. Midway attractions, entertainment featuring daredevil stunts, and horse races were always popular with the spectators. Special events held that first year included a shooting match between Annie Oakley and Miles Johnson, and demonstrations of horsemanship and lassoing by cowboys and Indians from Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show. Parachutists jumping from hot-air balloons thrilled audiences in the 1890s. Starting at the turn of the century, death defying shows starring pioneers of aerial navigation, including Harriet Quimby, one of the first women to hold a pilot's license, and automotive racing, were booked to entertain the crowds filling the grandstand. As horses were replaced by automobiles for transportation, cars became the main attraction on the fairground's racetrack.
"Lucky" Teter and his Hell Drivers made the headlines in the 1930s; in the sixties it was midget car races and a 200-mile race for Indianapolis cars and drivers. The area referred to as the "sculpture pad" in Grounds For Sculpture brochures was originally the foundation for the grandstand extension.
By the 1970s attendance was dwindling along with profits, and interest by the owner of the property turned from entertainment to development. In 1980 the land was sold and the New Jersey State Fair was held for the last time on this site.
Timeline
1745 Original Fair Charter given by King George II
1750 Surrender of Borough Charter
1777 Elkanah Watson (Father of the American County Fair) -- First visit to Trenton, N.J.
1858 State Agricultural Society -- Fair Revival -- 3 Day Event
1928 Exhibition of Flying Craft organized by Trans-Atlantic flier Clarence D. Chamberlin
1937 New Jersey State Fair -- Golden Jubilee Year -- 50th Anniversary Celebration
1938 Lucky Teter and His Hell Drivers perform auto stunts -- Teter billed as "King of Daredevils" with "World's Greatest Thrill Show"
1939 Fair sold to George A. Hamid (amusement promoter)
1945 200th Anniversary of First Trenton Fair -- Organized by George A. Hamid
4-H Club Dedication of their new Exhibition Building
Thomas Edison Exhibition featured -- Early Inventions on display
1950
Grandstand features radio celebrity Johnny Olsen and singer Roy Acuff & His Rocky Mountain Boys/Girls along with the cast of the Grand Ole Opry
1964
77th Annual State Fair features Celebration of New Jersey's 300th Birthday -- Opening Day billed as "Tercentenary Day"
First Miss N.J. State Fair Crowned
Tercentenary Historical Building & Civil War Building feature special Exhibitions
Dick Clark & Bobby Vinton are featured entertainers
Horse Shows featured in Coliseum
Closing Event was a 200 mile race for Indianapolis race cars
1966 "The State Fair with the World's Fair Flair" -- N.J. State Fair Buildings get a $250,000 "face-lift" with 60s bright Gold & Green checkerboard facades and new outdoor lighting systems
1966 Action Exhibits & Demonstations replace "still-type" Exhibits
First Dog Show at Fair
1967 "Authentic Vietnam Village" provided by U.S. Recruiting Service was featured exhibit at Fair
"Your Stake in the Atom" -- U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Exhibit -- Live demos on uses of nuclear power -- Remote control hands a popular display in Atomic Exhibit
Golden Knights of Fort Bragg, N.C., The Bolling Air Base Pipe Band and Drill Team, and Your Father's Mustache Banjo Band were featured performers
Ladies Day coincides with Arnold Constable Day -- Fashion Show featured
1971 Trenton International Speedway -- Marlboro Championship Trial Race
1974 State Fair in Decline! -- Urban Decay, Race Relations, and competition with Great Adventure cited as causes -- George Hamid Jr. petitions Governor Brendan T. Byrne for State subsidy
1980 Louis Traiman Auction Co. of Philadelphia auctions off N.J. State Fairgrounds -- Bids are really low -- Stryker Macine Products buys 5 1/2 acre Hamilton Township tract of Fairgrounds property
1984 Atlantic Foundation purchases old Fairgrounds property adjacent to the Johnson Atelier
1988 Grounds For Sculpture receives Preliminary Site Plan Approval
1989 Construction begins on Grounds For Sculpture
1866 Central Agricultural Society of N.J. purchase of land for New Jersey State Fairgrounds -- Staged the first Fair at this site
1867 Opening of Permanent Exhibition Buildings & a mile-long Race Track -- Billed as "Finest Exhibition of Race Horses in the East"
1871 Land sold to Henry W. Smith -- Established Fashion Stud Farm
1885 Mercer County Board of Agriculture holds First Fair on Old Trenton Baseball Club Grounds
1886 Second Annual Mercer County Agricultural Fair Association Exhibition
1887 Mercer County Board of Agriculture revived the Fair -- Agricultural displays only -- No more racing!
1888 Formation of Inter-State Fair Association -- Inspired by John Taylor (Trenton Businessman, Head of the Board of Trade, Civic Leader, Founder of the Taylor Opera House)
New Jersey State Fair Opens -- Complete with a Grandstand and Half-Mile Track -- Two Exhibition Buildings erected for Opening -- 50,000 in attendance
Belva Ann Bennet Lockwood (Suffragist -- 1st Woman Pres. Candidate) gives campaign speech
Annie Oakley vs. Miles Johnson shooting match -- Annie Oakley wins!
Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show Cowboys in an Exhibition of Horsemanship & Lassooing!
1888-
99 John Guild Muirhead (leader of Trenton's pottery industry) -- Manager of the Fair
1891 The Great Interstate Fair -- Trenton, N.J. -- "Unapproached in Excellence of Exhibits and Magnitude of Attendance"
1893 Public Schools Declare "Big Thursday" and "Children's Day" official Holidays in area schools
1895 The Great Interstate Fair -- Trenton, N.J. -- "Agricultural Circus of the East"
1900 Fair features the First Novelty Series of Automobile Races
1905 The Lewis Airship makes daily flights from the Fair to the Broad St. Bank Building
1909 First Exhibition Airplane Flights -- Billy Taylor booked Grandstand Shows -- Wright Brothers and Ralph Johnstone perform aerial stunts
Three Dollar Prize given to "Largest Cat of Any Kind" -- One Dollar Prize for "Best Nightengale" --Three Dollar Prize for "Best Colony of Italian Bees" -- Fifty Cents went to "Best Pen Wiper"
1911 Harriet Quimby (magazine editor & daring flier) performs aerial stunts -- She was distinguished as one of only two women with an aviator license at that time
1921 New Jersey Exhibition Building erected to house State Department Exhibitions
1927 Trenton Fair -- "Mammouth Exposition's 40th Year"
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