Madison County Democrat. (London, Ohio) 19??-1958, 1953-08-25

London Driving Park Association
1.-The first step taken toward the
revival of the county fairs was
probably the organization of the
London Driving Park Association.
This association was formed early
in the year 1883 and soon after
leased so acres of land for a park
of r. B. Cowling about one mile
east of London, between the rail-
road and the Jefferson Pike. On
March % of the same year, they
gave the contract for building a
half mile dirt track to Morris
Nevils for 1899, the track to be
finished by May 1. During that
spring the local papers began the
discussion of the revival of the
old county fairs. The park was
opened on July a, with the follow
ing program of races: Gentlemen's
trot, 800 trot, purse $100; 2:40
pacing, purse 500; 2:35 trot,
purse $3.50; one-half mile running
and one-haf mile bicycle. Admis-
sion was placed at so cents for
gentlemen, ladies free. Meet was
successful with approximately 500
to thousand people in attendance.
G. F. Richman, president of the
association; A. w. Boyd, secre-
tary; F. T. Creamer, treasurer.
'On August 8, 1883 another
successful race program was held.
There were 200 shares of stock in
the association with 182 sold.
''In the Democrat of March a,
1885, is found the following: We
the undersigned citizens of Mad
ison county, are in favor of calling
a county convention for the pur-
pose of organizing a county agri-
cultural society within and for
Madison county, Ohio, and recon-
mend that said convention be held
at the court house in London on
Saturday, the 14th day of March,
1885 and respectfully invited all
persons interested to attend said
convention About 80 persons
signed the call. The immediate re-
suits of this meeting are not quite
clear, but it is recorded that on
January 5, 1886, the Madison
County Agricultural Society met
and elected the following officers:
Stephen Watson, president; F. c.
Gillett, vice president; Erwin Phi
fer, secretary; Job ]. Clark, treas
urer.
AT a meeting of the board OF
directors January Is, 1886, it was
decided to see the old fairgrounds
and secure new grounds, with H
c. Guy, Hartford Toland and NJ. l.
Rea appointed to purchase OF
lease new grounds. ]. ]. Clark and
William Curtin, were appointed to
prepare the premium list. How.
ever, for reasons, unknown, no
fair was held that year.
in January, 1887, G. w. Wilson,
then president of the Madison
County Agricultural Society met
the directors of the London Driv-
ing Park Company, and asked if
practicable to hold a fair or, their
grounds this year. THE society is
without funds to purchase grounds
and can only purchase if favorable
terms can be had. The Agricul-
tural Society would be pleased to
have the association consider the
matter of granting the privilege of
holding a county fair on the
grounds and take such action as
shall seem best. The proposition
was favorably considered by the
Driving Park Association, which
at that time was about $1,000 in
debt. But the hopes for a fair that
year were dashed by the county
commissioners refusing to accept
a quit-claim and for the old fair
grounds from the Madison County
Agricultural ociety on the
grounds that the society had aban-
doned the grounds.
Permanent Revival Of interest
"On November 9, 1889, an en-
thusiastic meeting of the agricul-
tural society was held at the court
house and interest was revived in
the proposed fair. A campaign was
started to increase membership of