West Liberty History 1838-1938

Source: One Hundred Years of History
* Commemorating a Century of Progress in the West Liberty Community * WEST LIBERTY, IOWA
THE WEST LIBERTY FAIR

Over three-quarters of a century ago the first fair was organized and known as the Cedar County Agriculture Society. It included Cedar County and those townships in Muscatine and Johnson counties adjacent thereto. This was on April 2, 1859 and the meeting was held at school house No. 2 in Springdale Township. Moses Varney was selected as President; M. B. Butler and Thomas Leech as Vice-presidents; Laurie Tatum, Secretary; Emor Rood, Corresponding Secretary; Elisha Todd, Treasurer; J. H. Painter, J. Smith, Thomas James, John Thomas, and James Crosier as the board of managers.

M. V. Butler offered the barn and lots for the first fair and it was held there on Oct. 6 and 7, 1859. Ephriam Robinson got out the first premium list, and there were 188 entries. Receipts for the year were : Membership $74.00 ; State Aid $74.00 ; and gate receipts, $27.15 ; total $175.15. Of this amount $ 86.90 was paid out for premiums. The second fair was held Sept. 20 and 21, 1860, and the next, Sept. 20 and 21, 1861, and the fourth in Oct. 9 and 10, 1862.

Early in the year 1863 a group at Tipton filed articles of incorporation endeavoring to move the fail to Tipton. However our group would not consent so withdrew and on January 24, 1863, organized the Union District Agriculture Society whose first fair was held Sept. 28-29, 1863, near the bridge of the middle branch of the Wapsie on the road from West Liberty to Springdale, one-sixth mile north of the county line. The officers were Moses Varney, president; J. M. Wood, secretary and J. H. Painter, treasurer. At the meeting Dec. 3, 1863 E. W. Hughes, John Marsh and Laurie Tatum were appointed to purchase a suitable piece of land for the fair grounds. Asa Gregg is listed as treasurer in 1863, and continued in that office for a number of years.

Feb. 13, 1864 they purchased the 40 acres, being the S. E. 1/4 of the N. E. 1/4 of Sec.35. Twp 79N. Range 4 West, for $400.00, paying one-half at the time. This location joined the tract of land where the fair was held the previous year and continued to be the location until 1872 when they voted to sell it to L. Henderson for $1000.00. On Jan. 20, 1872, they leased the grounds now occupied, from W. C. Evans for a term of ten years at an annual rental of $50.00 for the four weeks. The first fair held on the present grounds was Sept. 25,26,and 27, 1872.

The first thing they did were to improve the grounds, prepare a good premium list and to make a race track. Today these still stand out as marks of achievement.

In 1881 the land was purchased by the Park Association. The presidents of the association have been Moses Varney, William C. Evans, Zadok Ellyson, S. S. Gause, John A. Evans, Phineas Nichols, Thomas Birkett, J. L. Brooke, George Heppenstall, Albert Whitacre, Henry Negus, J. I. Nichols, Eb. Fogg, W. P. Nichols, J. L. Peters, J. C. Nichols, C. P. Gibson, C. G. Brown, W. W. Anderson, W. E. Fogg, V. H. Birkett, L. B. Halstead, W. C. Anderson, A. L. Dice, W. W. Watters, E. C. Kerr, R. R. Wright, and Leslie Steen, and the secretaries, Laurie Tatum, J. M. Wood, A.F. Keith, J. S. Taylor, A. Shaw, Jas. Morgan, E. P. French, Geo. Shipman ( 16 years ), W. M. McFadden, W. S. Luse, E. L. Henderson, H. N. Macdonald, O. E. Hogue, W. H. Shipman ( 25 years ), Walter Light, J. M. Addleman, and Ray Wustenberg.

P. N. Gibson was for more than 25 years a starter of the horse races for which this fair is noted, as it has one of the best half-mile tracks to be found.

The late Senator J. I. Nichols was the father of the 4-H club work in our fair ably assisted by the late W. P. Nichols. Baby Beeves were their specialty.

Another man very necessary for many years was Grant Nichols, upon whom depended the music for the fair. His experience with Ringling Bros. circus made him valuable, especially when free attractions came.

The women of the community have always been a great help in the life of the fair and we find in 1875 the Mesdames Amos Kimberly, S. S. Gause, Stephen Chase, E. H. Dillingham, S. W. Jacobs, A. Fulton, A. B. Cornwall and Henry Mosher.

In the beginning the fair was for two days; in 1865 it was increased to three and it is now a four day fair, with night attractions.

This Union District Agricultural Sociaty is indeed an asset to this community; its investment in property is over $50,000.00, and it pays premiums every year, in full, amounting to thousands of dollars. Once a picnic place in the days of the horse and buggy, it is now the Homecoming event in the days of autos.

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