Illinois Department of Agriculture Division of State Fair 1890's

Beautifully engraved certificate from the Illinois Department of Agriculture Division of State Fair School of Domestic Science issued in 1890's. This historic document has an ornate border around it with a vignette of an eagle with a shield and the Woman's Building, Illinois State Fair Grounds. This item is hand signed by the Instructor in Cooking, Instructor in Nursing, General Manager State Fair, President of School, Secretary of School and Director of Agriculture and is over 102 years old.






Certificate Vignette



Now a leading agricultural fair in the nation, the Illinois State Fair was designed on a similar premise 146 years ago. Members of the newly incorporated Illinois State Agricultural Society determined that a fair would jump-start farmers into improving the ag business by exposing them to the best methods and equipment. According to Patricia Henry, the fair's "unofficial historian," minutes from the meeting read:

"Homebred farmers were ignorant and bigoted because they read little and traveled even less."

Springfield won the bid for the first site and the four-day event began on Tuesday, October 11, 1853. For 25 cents admission, fairgoers could see the best products offered by the family farm: prize-winning stallions, mares, cattle, sheep, swine and poultry; the best ox yoke, chum, pump and portable grist mill; the best wine and field crops, including Illinois-grown hemp and tobacco; garden produce, flowers, needlework and kitchen goods.

In all, 765 entries earned $1, 500 in premiums, with the fair realizing a profit of $853.

That first year, five major rail lines into the capital city offered fairgoers such deals as half-price fares and free freight for all livestock and display materials. The next year featured three-hour speeches by Illinois' U.S. Sen. Stephen A. Douglas, and then- Springfield lawyer Abraham Lincoln.

In time, permanent buildings and areas were added, including the Tented City, a camping area with police protection, a directory of inhabitants, telegraph and postal service. Special events became popular, too. At the "Better Babies Conference," judges rated children between the ages of six months and 5 years on their health, looks and ability to crawl very fast. And the State Fair School of Domestic Science was designed for young women who wanted to "increase home efficiency."

In her ongoing research comparing fairs and theme parks, Carla Corbin, a professor of landscape architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, discovered that the agricultural fair was a site where prior to World War II rural people went to have a more urban experience, a crowded, complex environment. Later, as American society changed from a rural to an urban and suburban popu- lation, this purpose shifted. Urban dwellers, generations removed from a family farm, attended the fair to learn about that life.

The fair's role in agricultural technol- ogy and immediate sales is long gone. Modern progress in the form of grocery stores and produce brokers has left vegetable and fruit displays to hobbyists. Since the 1970s, machinery shows have dwindled at the fair, and major agricultural equipment by the big-name dealers, such as John Deere and Ford New Holland, has been replaced by riding mowers and small tractors for suburban "lawn farmers."

These days, attendance at the Illinois State Fair is about 30 percent agricul- tural and 70 percent urban. The grand- stand lineup gets the limelight and shares credit for the crowds with the carnival midway, free entertainment and concessions.

The Fair has been held in 12 cities throughout Illinois, including: Chicago, Alton, Peoria, Freeport, Jacksonville, Decatur, Quincy, Ottawa, DuQuoin, Olney and Centralia.

1858 proved to be quite a year for the city of Centralia as well as the Illinois State Fair. During the Fair's residence in Centralia, chaos burst out when two farm children accidentally ascended into the sky, after the hot-air balloon tied to their father's fence broke loose. Fortunately, the balloon landed 18 miles away and the children were found unharmed.

The 10th anniversary of the Fair was hampered due to the Civil War and the economic depression. Premiums were awarded, but without a general Fair site.

The opening of the first permanently located Fair was September 24, 1894, and it ran for an extent of six days. Admission was 50 cents for adults, seventy-five cents for one person on horseback, and $1.25 for a carriage load of four. Premiums totaled $30,000 for that year and many of the buildings on the fairgrounds were renovated.

The Fair has had its home in Springfield for over 100 years. Many buildings on the fairgrounds have also celebrated over 100 years of history in Springfield. For the amount of $69,500, the Dome Building was purchased from the Chicago World's Fair and was then reconstructed for the 1895 Fair. It was reported that the dome was the second largest unsupported dome in the world.

Tragically, the Dome Building, located just east of the Exposition Building burned down in August, 1917, just before the Fair opened.

In 1998, the Fair now ran ten days, and was filled with many exciting attractions and outstanding entertainment. Through the years, the Illinois State Fair has had one of the most extensive agriculture shows in the country. It is a place to congregate and learn the history of Illinois Agriculture. The premiums that are offered, serve as an incentive to have exhibits in areas other than just agriculture.

Currently, the fairgrounds cover 366 acres. The Illinois State Fair is legendary to Springfield and the State of Illinois. It has provided many memories to the hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Roaming through the beauty of the fairgrounds and experiencing the historic essence, visitors will make their own history at the Illinois State Fair.

The history of the fair was found at Illinois Periodicals Online (IPO).