Clinton County, Ohio - Chapter 16: Farmers' Organizations, 1915

Chapter 16: Farmers' Organizations

The Ohio state Legislature, through the efforts of Eli Gaskill, representative from Clinton county, passed an act on February 25, 1833, authorizing and encouraging the establishment of agricultural societies in the various counties of the state. Those interested in such matters speedily took advantage and on June 14, 1833, a notice was published in the Democrat and Herald, a Wilmington newspaper, that a meeting of interested citizens would be held the Jast Friday in that month for the purpose of organizing an agricultural society. The plans were successfully carried out and Azel Walker was chosen president. and A. E. Strickle, recording secretary. of the organization. A meeting of the board of directors was held on July 28, 1833, at which it was voted that each member should pay the treasurer on or before the first Saturday of the ensuing October the sum of fifty cents. It was voted to hold the first fair on the last Saturday in October, 1833. It was resolved to award premiums on horses, eattle, sheep and hogs, owned by members of the society, also on articles of all descriptions manufactured by said members. 'The fair was held on the premises owned by Richard Pieree in Wilmington.

The following oflicers were elected by the society on June 27. 18384: Eli Gaskill, president; Isaiah Morris, vice-president; Lawrence Fitzhugh, treasurer: Cc. B. Harlan, recording secretary: R. B. Harlan, corresponding secretary; Samuel Wilson, Thomas How, Jr., Abraham Nordyke, Isaac Strickle, John B. Posey. Aaron Jenkins, Isaac Collett. William Hadley, Jacob Haines, Azel Walker, directors. In that year the fair was held in Wilmington .on the Pierce lot on October 31. In 1885, Eli Gaskill was president, and L. Wright, secretary. The fair was held on the usual last Friday in October. About 1834, George D. Haworth introduced into Clinton county a new breed of cattle Known as "short horns," and it is probable that he exhibited them at the fair of 1835. The fourth fair was held in 1836, with the following officers: Fli Gaskill, president: Isaiah Morris. vice-president; A. T. Sewell, treasurer; A. KE. Strickle, secretary: Thomas How. Jr.. Jesse Hughes, Jr.. Gayer Starbuck, Isane Strickle, George MeManis, Jacob Haines, John B. Posey, James McFadden, Benjamin Nordyke and Cyrus Reed. directors. The fair of 1887 was held on October 28, at the house of Richard Pierce; admission fifty cents, dinner extra. The year had witnessed the production of excellent crops of fruit and grain and the amount and quality of stock was exceedingly creditable for that day. Eli Gaskill was president, and A. BE. Strickle, recording secretary. The judges of horses were Jacob Haines, Curtis Jackson, Benajah Nordyke, James McFadden. Simon Hadley; judges of cattle, John Hadley, George ID. Haworth, Cyrus Reed, Eli Gaskill, Abraham Nordyke; judges of sheep, swine, ete., Nathan Linton, Charles Russell, William Hadley, Gayer Starbuck, Thomas How, Jr.; judges of domestic manufactured articles, John B. Posey, Isane Strickle. William Hibben, C. D. Hughes, Thomas B. Carroll.

After 1887 there is nothing to show that a fair was held until 1849. The report of the state board of agriculture for the latter year shows that a new society had been organized the year previous and that its first fair was held at Wilmington on October 17 and 18, 1849. The officers of the new society were: Eli Gaskill, president: Josiah (so printed in the report - should be Isaiah) Morris, vice-president; Isaac B. Thomas, treasurer; Grafton B. White, secretary; Paul H. Vandervort, William Hibben, Isaac Haslett, Curtis Jackson, Milton McMillan, managers. The fair was held this year on the north side of the Washington pike, east of town. The receipts were one hundred fiftyseven dollars and fifty-nine cents, of which amount the county furnished seventy-eight dollars and fifty-nine cents. Fairs followed annually after this year. In 1851, the court house was used as a building in which to exhibit farm products.

1853 - Isaac Haslett was president; D. Persenger, vice-president; and Joseph Wood, secretary. This year the fair was held on new grounds now occupied by the nursery in the western suburb of Wilmington.

* 1854 - Eli Gaskill, president; Thomas L. Carothers, treasurer; A. W. Doan, secretary. 1855 - Paul H. Vandervort, president: William Crumly, treasurer; A. W. Doan, secretary.

1857 - A. HE. Strickle, president; J. G. Starbuck, vice-president; A. W. Doan, secretary. This year the fair was held east of Wilmington on the land now occupied by the Wilmington College campus. This land was leased by Isaiah Morris and fairs were held here for nine years.

1861 - J. D. Hines, president; J. M. Haworth, vice-president, and subsequently president, Hines not serving; A. W. Doan, elected secretary, but in his absence L. C. Walker was appointed secretary pro tem., and discharged the duties of the office.

1866- - Paul Vandervort, president; lL. D. Reed, treasurer; S. M. Babb, secretary. In this year the present fair grounds west of Wilmington were purchased and the property of the society removed from the old grounds.

1888 - O. F. Peddicord, president; N. M. Linton, secretary; directors, H. H. Hadley, H. P. Malone, John Clevenger, Edgar Hadley, J. W. Richardson, Charles Vanniman, Leo Weltz, H. C. Denver, W. H. Probasco, J. W. Denver, Jr., J. M. Miller and Joshua Linton. Fair held frém July 31 to August 38. A new grand stand was built this year.

1890 - H. P. Malone, president; John Clevenger, vice-president; G. P. Thorpe, secretary; J. W. Denver, Jr., treasurer. Fair dates were September 9-12.

1891 - G. H. Thorpe, secretary. The payment of premiums were guaranteed a subscribed fund raised in the county. The''dates were September 1-4.

1892 - J. M. Miller, president; John Clevenger, vice-president; J. W. Denver, treasurer, and G. P. Thorpe, secretary. The receipts of the fair this year - September 6-9 - were thirty-five hundred dollars, and the expenditures were three thousand dollars.

1894 - The Agricultural Society decided that it would not give a fair this year, and the grounds were leased to the Wilmington Lodge of the Knights of Pythias, who held a fair, September 25-28. The committee appointed by the lodge to manage the fair were Col. J. W. Denver, G. P. Thorpe, secretary, and J. M. Miller, president. The name was changed from the Clinton County Fair to that of the Wilmington Fair.

1895 - The Knights of Pythias again gave the fair. It was managed by Fred Weltz, president; Kent P. Browning, secretary; J. W. Denver, treasurer; Stanley Outealt and Tim Payne. The fair was held on September 4-6.

1896 - There was no fair held this year and the grounds were rented by the county commissioners to J. R. Sloan for one year for the sum of sixty dollars.

1904 - In this year the fair grounds were leased from U. N. Morgan by G. R. Kennedy, of Sardinia, Brown county, Ohio. He organized the Wilmington Fair and Amusement Company, with the following officers: G. R. Kennedy, president; B. E. Purdy, treasurer; A. W. Doan, secretary; and G. L. Kinkaid, assistant secretary. They spent some money remodeling the old grounds and held a fair on September 13-16. This was the first of the "Farmer Kennedy Fairs." This same company gave fairs on the following dates: August 22-25, 1905; August 28-31, 1906; September 10-138, 1907; September 8-11, 1908, and September 14-17, 1909.

In 1910 a new company, with Samuel Johns as president; Claude Miller, vice-president; O. J. Thatcher, secretary, and J. M. Lewis, treasurer, gave a fair on September 27-30: In 1911 there was no fair given.

In 1912, the Ohio Horse Sales Company, of which Al W. Doan was secretary and W. J. Galvin the general manager, held a fair on September 18-20. They held their second fair, September 17-19, 1912, but the heavy rains caused their failure.

In 1914, the Wilmington Fair Association was organized with W. J. Galvin as the general manager, and A. W. Doan, secretary. They held their first fair on September 2-4 of that year. Their second fair and first annual horse show was held August 11-12, 1915. The officers of the association are: W. J. Galvin, general manager; Al W. Doan, secretary; O. F. Peddicord, superintendent horse department; H. C. Fenker, superintendent art hall exhibits; Al W. Conrey, superintendent of grounds.

The Sabina Fair

A general meeting of the citizens of Clinton and surrounding counties was called, to be held at Sabina in 1874, to consider the advisability and, if thought advisable, the means best adapted to the formation of an agricultural or fair association. At this meeting it was undertaken to start the'formation of such a society, and committees were accordingly appointed to solicit subscriptions in furtherance of the project. After these committees had obtained five thousand dollars in subscription to the stock, another meeting was held, at which the following board of officers were elected: HB. B. Martin, president; J. R. Amos, vice-president; D. C. Harrison, secretary; H. H. Thorp, treasurer, and 8S. B. Lightner, B. J. Darbyshire, John Kirk, John Borum, E. M. Morgan, H. B. Reed, C. M. Luttrell and J. W. Carter, directors. The organization was given the name of the Sabina Wnion Agricultural Society. Thirty-five acres of ground on the Washington pike, and adjoining Sabina on the east, were then rented from A. C. Mills, a lease of ten years being taken by the society. Work was at once commenced on the grounds and, during the first year, seven thousand dollars were expended on improvements to the grounds. The first fair, held August 18-21, 1874, was a great success, financially and otherwise, and after that the society continued to reap their annual reward for their labor until their disbandment. In 1881 the grounds were enlarged to forty acres. A half-mile track, sixty feet wide, was made and shed room for fully two hundred horses erected. In addition to this were built commodious cattle pens, a floral hall, agricultural hall, dining hall, music stand, band stands, judges' stands, etc. Seating room for fully five thousand people was found in the amphitheater formed around one side of the speed ring. The officers of the society in 1882 were: <A. Sellars, president; H. A. Haynes, vice-president; R. Curtis, treasurer; I. Roberds, secretary, and S. B. Lightner, C. B. Vaniman, A. J. Gaskins, H. B. Reed, A. J. Wilson, C. E. Custis. E. J. Darbyshire and C. Rhonemus, directors.

On May 27, 1885, the old society was reorganized under the same name, with C. Rhonemus, president: Martin Kennedy. treasurer; I. Roberds, secretary, and C. E. Custis, H. B. Reed, S. B. Lightner, C. B. Vaniman and A. J. Wilson, directors. A fair was held on August 24-28, at which three thousand dollars were put up as race premiums.

In 1888, the old society had again died, and on June 4 the Sabina Fair Company was incorporated, with a capital stock of one hundred thousand dollars and twenty-five members. The officers were: Alex Sellars, president; M. M. Dakin, vice-president; H. H. Thorpe, treasurer; Isaac Roberds. secretary. This company gave the remainder of the fairs that were given at Sabina. Meanwhile, on the expiration of the old ten-year lease from A. C. Mills, the association had bought the fair grounds.

In 1889 the officers of the company were: Alex Sellars. president; M. M. Dakin, vice-president: Isaac Roberds, secretary; H. H. Thorpe, treasurer, and Dr. A. J. Slaight. Ww. J. Sewell, 8. M. Thorne. C. Rhonemus, G. W. Yeazel, William Custis, Foster Geffs and J. T. Sylvester, as directors. Probably the greatest and most successful fair ever given at Sabina was the one given on August 19-23. of that year. The crowds in attendance were large and the racing good. Governor Foraker paid it the honor of a visit.

The last fair held was from August 30 to September 2, 1892. with the following officers: C. Rhonemus, president; M. M. Dakin, vice-president; Martin Kennedy. secretary; William Custis, treasurer; and S. M. Thorne. J. J. Cumer, G. A. Pavey. Charles Burnett, Alex Sellars. C. F. Allen and Albert Mills, directors.

negotiations were begun by the Methodist Protestant conference camp meeting for the purchase of the fair grounds. The deal was closed and the transfer dated February ab 1894, the fair company releasing all but two acres of the grounds for the consideration of fifteen thousand dollars.

Patrons Of Husbandbey

During the administration of President Johnson, in "1866, the agricultural affairs in the South were in such a deplorable state that it was decided to study the conditipns among the farmers and ascertain if something could not be done for their betterment. The President decided to place this work under the jurisdiction of the department of agriculture, and Isaac Newton, who was then commissioner of agriculture, was placed in charge of the work. O. H. Kelley, of Minnesota, who was then a clerk in the agricultural department, was sent south to study the conditions among the farmers. On his return he made a report which disclosed such a frightful state of affairs that the idea of organizing the farmers into a society was determined. This society was known as the Patrons of Husbandry, or Grangers, and the national Grange was organized at Washington, D. C., December 4, 1867. The first national officers were: William Sanders, District of Columbia, master; J. R. Thompson, Vermont, lecturer; Anson Bartlett, Ohio, overseer; A. S. Moss, New York, assistant overseer; William Muri, Pennsylvania, steward; A. B. Grosh, Pennsylvania, chaplain; William Ireland, Pennsylvania, treasurer ; O. H. Kelley, secretary; and BE. P. Farris, Illinois gatekeeper.

Dispensations were granted by the national Grange to the following cities: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, first; Fredonia, New York, second; Columbus, Ohio, third. The agricultural bulletin of October 4, 1873, showed granges to the number of six thousand nine hundred and fourteen in the United States. Ohio had at that time one hundred and forty-seven. The master of the state of Ohio was S. H. Ellis, Springboro; the secretary of the state Grange was D. M. Stewart, Xenia. Simeon Moon, of Farmer's Station, was the first deputy in Clinton county.

In March, 1873, S. H. Ellis, of Springboro, Warren county, came to this county and organized the first grange in the county. It was known as Clinton Grange No. 122. On September 9, 1878, Wilmington Grange No. 123 was organized: Judge J. H. West was the first master, and Judge BE. J. West was the first deputy. Other granges were organized in the county soon afterward.

On August 8, 1874, a county grange meeting was held at the fair grounds of Clinton county and all of the granges of the county were present. It was estimated that there were ten thousand people at this meeting. There were thirty-one granges in the county at this time and they were all well represented. This was a great gala day for the people of this section. There were speeches by the leading officers of the day and a parade through Wilmington and different amusements for the diversion of old and young. It seems that the granges were at the height of their existence at this time.

The prosperity of the granges received its first setback with the coming into existence of the organization known as the Farmers Alliance. The Grange was a nonpolitical and non-sectarian organization. But the Farmers Alliance, which originated in the West, was a partisan society and intended to make their reforms through gaining political power. From this time on the granges began to decrease. One by one, they would surrender their charters and the members were dimited to other places. The last grange in this county to pass out under the old regime was Oak Grove Grange No. 23. In the Blanchester fire of October 18, 1895, the paraphernalia, records, etc., of this lodge was destroyed and on June 15, 1896, the last meeting was held and the members given their cards of dimit.

Beech Grove Grange

The grange meets at the Beech Grove church on the first and third Wednesday nights of each month in the year. The first officers were as follow: Master, C. J. Luse; overseer, Harry R. Clark; lecturer, Ray Rogers; steward, Walter Garman; assistant steward, Oscar Whitlow; lady assistant, Hazel Garman; chaplain, Bertha Hempstead; Garman; pomona, Nina Bevan; flora, Emma Ridgeway; trustees, Clyde J. Hempstead, John Finney and Orville Bevan.

The officers for 1915 are as follow: Master, C. J. Luse; overseer, Harry R. Clark; lecturer, George B. Jenks; steward, Harold 'Hook; assistant steward, Oscar Whitlow; lady assistant, Hazel Garman; chaplain, Sadie M. Davis; treasurer, Frank Hook; secretary, Frank Carey; gatekeeper, J. E. Hook; ceres, Mary Davis; pomona, Mary Fender; flora, Georgia Crites; trustees, Clyde J. Hempstead, John Finney and Orville Bevans.

This is one of the most active granges in the county and, although it is less than two years old, it has already done some excellent work for its members. It has done co-operative buying of fertilizer and binder twine, to the amount of thirty-five hundred dollars, at a great saving to the members. In other ways its usefulness has been demonstrated and it is safe to say that it will become a factor of increasing importance. Under the energetic leadership of its master, C. J. Luse, Beech Grove Grange is taking its place as a factor, not only in the economic life of the community which it serves, but in the. educational, religious and social life as well.

Blanchester Grange

Blanchester Grange No. 1767 was organized on January 28, 1911. with seventy-one members, and the present membership remains the same. The first officers were as follow: Salathiel Jackson, master: William Kulp, overseer; Thomas Sharp, chaplain; Roy J. Ross, treasurer: Sanford Brown, steward; William Reed, assistant steward; William Reynolds, secretary; Wilford Ross, gatekeeper; Mrs. Albert Foote, pomona; Marley Clevenger, flora; Mrs. Chloe Starkey, ceres; Mrs. Harry Adams, lady assistant.

The officers for 1915 are as follow: T.. O. West, master; William Kulp. overseer ; Mrs. Nell Whitenack. lecturer; Ottis Watkins, steward; William Starkey, assistant steward; Harley Carnahan. chaplain: Roy J. Ross. treasurer; Mrs. Lucy D. Peters, _ secretary; Frank Tullis, gatekeeper: Eda Watkins, pomona; Mrs. Chloe Starkey, flora; _ Mrs. Elizabeth Kulp. ceres: Mrs. Rena Sears, lady assistant. The grange meets on the first and third Saturday nights of each month in the Knights of Pythias hall in Blanchester. The programs are of a general nature and deal with all phases of agricultural life. Although the grange has been organized but a comparatively short time. it has already accomplished much good for its members.

New Vienna, Westboro And Clarksville Granges

Union Grange No. 77. at New Vienna. has one hundred and ninety-six members, with the following officers: C. G. Blackhun, master; E. H. Edwards, lecturer ; Grace Bernard, secretary; A. H. Terrell, legislative agent. Westboro Grange No. 1779 has fifty-six members, with the following officers: Milton Holaday, master; Charles Thompson, lecturer; F. R. Christ. secretary. Clarksville Grange No. 1695 has seventy-four members, with the following officers: George W. Orr, master; Mrs. Anna Wellar, lecturer; Oscar Wellar, secretary; H. R. Harris, legislative agent.