(by Cyrus T. Fox, its Secretary for 27 years)
The holding of fairs in Reading, the county seat of Berks, commenced soon after the institution of the county in 1752. The custom resulted from the dedication of a large central area to public use by the founders of the town, the sons of William Penn, which is known to this day as Penn Square.
It was found that this commodious open space was well adapted to the holding of sales and the exposing to view of products of the farm. As the court house stood in the centre of the square, the situation was an ideal one, inasmuch as farmers had but a few steps to go from their market stands to the court house to transact such legal business as required attention.
These markets, as they were first called, gave rise to the semi-annual fair days, when prizes were offered for the best products of the farm, and when bartering and exchanging by farmers, merchants and manufacturers took place on a large scale.
The first semi-annual fair was held in the market square in October, 1766, and this was followed by a spring fair in the first week in June, 1767. As at the time chosen for the spring fair cherries were abundant, and great crates and baskets of the luscious fruit were brought from the farms around Reading, it soon became known as "the cherry fair," a title which stuck to it for many years.
These spring and fall exhibitions usually continued for two days, and were anticipated by the people of the county as the leading events of the year. Horses and colts were brought to the fair, and if trials of their speed were needed the parties usually repaired to the old Lancaster highway, across the river, where there was a straight stretch of road, and where the animals could readily show their gaits.
The semi-annual fair was not without its festivities, and advantage was taken of the presence of hundreds of country folk in the town to have dancing and other frivolities at the leading taverns or inns. Some of the gay scenes resulted in disorderly conduct on the part of those who indulged too freely in liquor and fighting would follow, in which sometimes many engaged before peace was restored. Thus, the early fairs were not without their drawbacks. Generally, however, there were good results, and the people of the county were drawn together for their mutual benefit.
Not satisfied with the fairs of the county seat, there soon developed a tendency for holding similar exhibitions elsewhere in the county, and Hamburg, Kutztown, Womelsdorf and other places had their annual events. These finally degenerated and later were known as "battalions," when King Momus ruled, and the celebration was in the nature of a frolic with music and dancing, but very little of the requisite military display which would justify the use of such a name as "battalion" to characterize the event.
Finally, when the market-place fairs of the county seat had outgrown their usefulness, or became too disorderly, they were abandoned. From them were evolved the semi-weekly markets, which continued in Penn Square for almost one hundred years. In 1871 they were discontinued and market houses were substituted for the open square.
Horse racing, however, had meanwhile become popular, and the Lancaster road was used for years as a race course. Then came the construction of a track at the Three-Mile House, where races were conducted for many years.
Meanwhile the people had been educated to the advantages that could be realized in the holding of agricultural fairs. It was seen that agriculture and horticulture could be promoted thereby and that great advantages would be derived by the entire community.
Berks County was not alone in this thought. As early as 1823 a State Agricultural Society had been organized in Pennsylvania. It was regularly incorporated, but then fell into neglect, and nothing was done in the way of holding a fair until 1851, when the first State Fair was held at Harrisburg in October, that year.
This movement having met with success, a preliminary meeting was held in Reading on December 20, 1851, at the Keystone House (now Hotel Penn) for the purpose of organizing an agricultural society, with the view of holding fairs. Fifteen prominent citizens attended and caused a public address to be issued.
On January 13, 1852, the Berks County Agricultural and Horticultural Society was formally organized, and 108 persons subscribed their names to the constitution. Dr. John P. Hiester was elected president; Colonel Henry Schubert, of Bethel, and Major Henry S. Kupp, of Union Township, were chosen vice-presidents; Thomas Penrose, of Maidencreek, recording secretary; A.F. Boas, of Reading, corresponding secretary, and Adam Leize, of Reading, treasurer. The membership fee was fixed at one dollar per annum, which carried with it a family ticket to the society's exhibition during the year.
The first fair was held August 17th, 1852, in the parlors of Housum's Golden Swan Hotel, Fourth and Penn Streets (now the American House). It was confined chiefly to the exhibition of cereals, vegetables, fruits and flowers. Although of small extent, it exceeded all expectations in the quality of the products shown. It attracted a large number of visitors to Reading, and in this respect the fair was not only a great success, but it encouraged the members of the society to stimulate their efforts.
The second fair was held in October, 1853, when it partook more of the nature of a real agricultural exhibition, as there were races and a showing of agricultural implements and machinery, besides the usual display of farm products. The grain, vegetables, fruits, flowers and needlework and embroidery were exhibited in the Academy building, at the northeast corner of Fourth and Court Streets; the farm implements, live stock, poultry, etc., were shown in an open lot in the southeast corner of Fifth and Elm Streets, and the races were held in a large lot at the northeast corner of Sixth and Walnut Streets. This fair proved to be a great success, the attendance having been estimated at 20,000.
The third fair took place in the spring of 1854, at the "Military Garden," in the southern section of the city, between Fourth and Fifth Streets, south of Laurel. It attracted many visitors.
This was followed by a larger fair in the same year, at the head of Penn Street, on ground that had been known for years as "the Commons." This land was obtained by lease from the County Commissioners, who granted the use of it to the agricultural society, for the purpose of its annual fairs, for a period of 99 years.
The fairs were continued there annually from the fall of 1854 until the fall of 1887, when the last took place in that location, surrender of the site to the City of Reading having been conceded by the Agricultural Society under a decision of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. There is an interesting story in connection with the litigation which finally resulted in the abandoning by the Agricultural Society of the fair ground "on the hill" but it is not necessary to enter into this at the present time. Suffice it to say that Reading now enjoys its beautiful Penn's Common, or public park, and the Agricultural Association has come into the possession of one of the best equipped fair grounds in the United States.
The fairs on the old fair grounds, at the head of Penn Street, had been successful for many years. The largest was that of 1874, held September 10, 11, 12 and 13, during a week of great heat, the last of a five-weeks' period of drought, when the temperature was at 80 degrees and over during each day. The attendance on the "big day," Thursday, September 12, was estimated at 60,000, which was remarkable when it is considered that the population of Reading was but little more than 35,000. A.F. Boas, the president, was overcome by the heat and had to be taken to his home. Cyrus T. Fox was the secretary.
There were no fairs held during 1862, 1863 and 1864 on account of the Civil War, the fair ground having been turned over to the United States Government for recruiting and hospital purposes.
In 1888 the Agricultural Society acquired new grounds on North Eleventh Street, immediately beyond the city line, but no fair was held that year, all the time having been needed to obtain possession and equip the place with buildings and a race track. A large hotel was a prominent feature of the new fair ground.
The first fair in the new location was held in 1889, with George D. Stitzel as president and Cyrus T. Fox as secretary. It took place during a week of rain, when the grounds and race track were in such condition that no races could take place. A [cloud]-burst on the "big day" changed the space between the main building and the hotel into a veritable lake, and a temporary bridge had to be constructed to get those inside the buildings to places of comfort and safety.
Several years thereafter a miniature cyclone destroyed the offices and showy front at the entrance to the grounds and uprooted a number of shade trees, causing a loss of several thousand dollars. Then, in another year, there was a fire which destroyed all the horse stables, a length of more than 1,000 feet of box stalls for the race horses. This was a serious loss, and added to the impaired condition of the society, then involved under a mortgage of $30,000 on the grounds and buildings.
Other losses, due to bad weather and poor receipts and the inability to pay interest on the society's indebtedness, resulted in a foreclosure of the mortgage.
The society was then reorganized under the name of the Agricultural and Horticultural Association of Berks County. Fairs continued to be held annually on the North Eleventh Street ground, concluding with that of 1914.
In 1915 the first fair took place on the present ground, under the reorganization of the society, and have been very successful ever since. With ample capital and a handsome surplus, the future success of the Reading Fair is assured.
Source: Official Program of the 175th Anniversary of the Founding of Reading, PA, and the 150th Anniversary of the Reading Volunteer Fire Department Sept. 30th to Oct. 6th 1923, ed. by the Chairman of the Publicity Committee, Reading, PA, 1923, pp. 113, 115, 117.
Submitted by: Nancy.
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