The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-10-12
The First Virginia State Fair and
its Organizer, Gen. Richardson

Manassas Gap; Orange and Alexandria
Virginia and Tennessee: South Side;
| Petersburg and Roanoke North
Cardinal: the City Point railroad:
the Richmond and Petersburg. and
the r. F. & r. Initials for all but the
| last would now be very confusing.
However, there was no r.. F. & p.
between Alexandria and Acquia creek.
and Loudoun county found 1t i'm
possible to get Its exhibits to the fair.
! Tried to Charter Boat
! General Richardson greatly re-
GREETED that this lack of transporta-
| ton should so interfere with the fine
county of Loudoun, and he even pro-
posed that the State society should
charter boat to bring the exhibits
from Alexandria.
The first fair of 1883. was great
success. General Richardson. the COM
/ missioner. had covered the State in his
campaign of education, had enlisted
the help of the press and the railroads,
and had done everything that could
be done.
! "The result realized his most sanguine
| expectations. A more signal success
never crowned and rewarded industri-
/ Gus and disinterested efforts. That fair
exhibited an august spectacle great
and imposing assemblage of the worth,
/ lnttillgSHCAs Wtditu anu tIittt III iSS Va
| the State. AT no period of hr his
tory. perhaps. before or since written
lin 1860, has there been witnessed such
| an assembiage of the gentry OF Vir-
| ginia. II appeared that by common
consent a suspension of politics, bust
! ness and pleasure was determined upon
/ in honor of this occasion. The ladies
thronged to Richmond from all portions
! of the State, and such an array of
/ 49, u haa i,, ma old
| Dominion-the result of which was that
matrimony. as well as agriculture, re-
ceived a powerful stimulus, The exhi =.
btion itself surpassed all expectations
| In the display of stock. cattle, and agri
cultural, horticultural and mechanical
productions. The whole State was
delightfully."- startled at the unhoped for
evidences of Its own skill. industry and
wealth.
BEGINNING of Progress.
"A season was now iuaugurated when
agricultural ideas. improvements and
enterprises expelled all other ideas
and thoughts from the public mind. 1t
may almost be said that agriculture
became the point of honor with our
people. The progress made in this
State In the study and practice of agri-
culture as a science dates from this
epoch.
Chaos now reigns supreme over this
fruitful region, but we hope we see
Indications of the dawning of better
day, when a new labor system will be
organized. and when the seeds sown
in that happy era, before the war, will
produce an abundant harvest The
spirit Of improvement then awakened
was not extinguished. but simply sus-
pended by the ware Article in The
Farmer. published at Richmond. Janu-
airy. 1865. Vol /. No. IL
General Richardson was distinctly
a practical man, not a agricultural
theorist or writer. Edmund Ruff1n,
the great editor and theorist in agri-
cultural matters. was not able to
make the State society a living force.
General Richardson was the man for
the work of organization. He was
master OF routine, and his &C
quaintance with men all over the
State was invaluable A newspaper
of-the day remarked of his appoint
ment as commissioner of the State So
ciety; This was the master stroke,
which gave vitality to an institution
that had hitherto dragged out a sleepy
and precarious existence"
a Brilliant Occasion.
General Richardson's fair. as it
might be called. was an occasion not
only of great briiiiancy, but OF dig
State society was Philip ST. George
Cooke, of Powhatan county. who
few years later offered the State $40
600 toward the establishment of an
agricultural department at the Uni
versity of Virginia. The recording
secretary was Charles r. Williams,
whose services to the organization
was very considerable. The vice pres
dents were Edmund Ruffin, of Han
7 axzyiz of m ella
Willoughby Newton. of Westmoreland;
Thomas l.. Preston. of Washington
county; John r. Edmunds, of Hall
fax. and Samuel f. Christian. of Au
gusta Especially active members of
the executive committee were VIII
liam Boulware. of King and Queen;
Edwin G.. Booth, OF Nottoway. and
John Rayenscroft Jones. OF Bruins
wick. At the evening meetings OF the
society, during the progress OF the
fair, there were learned and grace
full addresses by DR.. Socrates Maupin.
DR. William G. Daniel of Georgia.
Vice President Edmunds n. Fran
els Cabell. of Nelson; Edmund Ruff
fin. B. Johnson Barbour. of Orange;
u. Fl. Lacy. of Spottsylvania; Hon.
William c. Rives, and others. among
them General Winfield Scott, later the
Wing candidate for president. Elk
4
dictory address TO the society. Mr..
Tyler said in the course al his re-
marks. The great farming interest is
that which government has most neg
lected." One of chief topics discuss
ed by the society was the monopoly
in Peruvian guano. Thanks were
rendered to Thomas T. Giles for his
skill in directing the execution of
the improvements on the grounds"
and to City Engineer Gill.
Comes to the Rescue.
Fortunately for the society, Cen
eral William II. Richardson, ex-sec-
rotary of the Commonwealth, ami
mated by rare and patriotic zeal
I'm the cause Of agricultural improve
ment In his native State. was willing
to undertake the different and dis
agreeable labors of an agency for the
society. General Richardson was the
organizer. for until he was put in
charge, the organization had been
very imperfect.