The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1919-11-14
F,BTY YEARS STATE FAIR
HAS SERVED THIS STATE
Recollections of Col. T. w. Holloway
Fair Was Rallying Point for
White People in 1876-Only
One Exhibitor That Year
Future is Bright.
(By w. P. Houseal.)

(By w. P. Houseal.)
This is the jubilee year of the State
Agricultural and Mechanical society,
and since this fact has not been given
prominence, so far as any special
celebration of the event is concerned,
l have thought it would be in keeping
with the occasion to speak of one
who contributed largely of his time
and talent in making the state fair
the greatest gathering of all the
people of the state for which it has
always been noted since it's beginning:
It is peculiar coincidence that
man who had managed the fair so
long period should have been called
from earthly activities at the time
when the society had decided upon
larger and better location because it
had outgrown it's circumscribed
grounds in the northwestern parts of
the city on Elmwood avenue.
It was the year 1908 that the
society took steps to sell its old
grounds and secure new location.
The movement was successfully ac-
complished and the first fair was held
on the present grounds, October 25-
%; 1904.
Thirty-fve years consecutively the
fair had been held at the old grounds;
Is years on the present grounds-an
intermission of one fair (1918) in
it's existence Of so years-by no
means an unimportant record. So it
is due in great measure to the pioneer
promoters of the, enterprise that the
state fair has had such an interesting
history.
Attention should be called to the
fact in this respect that while no
special celebration has been arranged
to commemorate in suitable form the
5oth anniversary of the state fair,
the record of it's achievements and
the men who helped to make it a
vsuccess has been preserved in ample
printed form under the direction of
an authorized committee of the
society, of which W. A. Clark of
Columbia was chairman. This inter
esting volume was published in 1916
and is valuable not only as history
of the State Agricultural and Mech
anical society, but also of the other
societies eof similar name and charac-
ter us 1t predecessors in South Caro-
lima, which until the. last SO years
! was almost wholly if not entirely an
: agEin.llturM state Eh1s also the
year sfa18 might .alse tbe rcalled the
jubilee year of our program as an
inh1strial state. 50, '..z->
,aa. Bdllawsy, S-rzetary.
When i .frst' attended the state
fair Col: Ihonas W. holloway was
its secretary He became connected
with it in this capacity in 1875: i
had known him from my early boy
hood. It was no fault fof his that
everybody did not know him if they
ever attended "a state fair during
nearly 80 years that he was its in
spired director. AS a hoy in my
early teens i was in his home as a
guest. I 9:soon discovered that he was
.Sond of children, especially those of
the masoiline gender. Twas very
tinlid boy-at least were some others
in those 'packward" days-bct never
were there any timid one of any age.
big boys or small boys, in Col. Hollo-
ways presence. His kind, genial
nature beamed actually from his
countenance so strong that the most
backward youth was trustful at ance
of that assurance in which childhood
finds it's chief Joy in companionship.
Connected also with Colonel Holls.-
ways administration of the state
faiz is the fact shat he became it's
Secretary at the most critical time
n it's history. The memorable polit-
ical campaign of 1876 came on the
year after he had taken charge Of the
fair as its general director for then
as now to considerable extent
everybody looked to the secretary
to make the annual exhibitions a
success. The fair depended upon its
gate receipts for the finances neces-
sary to run it. The second Tuesday
in November was the day set annually
rf5f the gates to open. Thursday was
the "big day" (and there was only
one 'big day" annually up to about
1900) when the buildings would be
, usually crowded almost to suffocation,
Gut the crowd was absent in 1876, on