In 1810 retired merchant and gentleman farmer Elkanah Watson organized the first agricultural fair in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. This event became the model for a major national tradition—the agricultural fair. Watson had led an eclectic life, making and losing fortunes in a variety of enterprises before accumulating enough wealth to establish himself as a gentleman farmer in the first decade of the 19th century. He became a proponent of new agricultural techniques, importing special breeds of hogs, sheep, and cattle. Gaining support from the Berkshire Agricultural Society, which he spearheaded, Watson created a special “cattle show” in 1810. The idea was to demonstrate the scientific nature of North American agriculture and to embody the pastoral ideal. From the beginning the fair included more than a display of cattle; it also exhibited of wide range of farm produce and items manufactured domestically. Watson’s fair relied upon an elaborate ritual to “seize the farmer’s heart,” as well as his mind. The idea quickly spread. Within a few decades there were hundreds of county fairs each year across the country, offering prizes and premiums, and becoming a highlight of the agrarian culture in the United States.
See also rural life.
Further reading: Catherine E. Kelly, “‘The Consummation of Rural Prosperity and Happiness: New England Agricultural Fairs and the Construction of Class and Gender, 1810-1860,” American Quarterly 49 (1997): 574-602.
World History
