Fannie and George go to the Fair, 1906

Today we have a pair of “ruby flash” salt & pepper shakers, now missing their tops, souvenirs of the 1906 Rockville Fair.

Ruby Flash glass (also called Ruby Stain) is named for the red color, which is applied to glass pieces by coating them with a chemical compound, then baking them in a kiln. The technique was used for both fancy dinnerware and inexpensive novelties. Our shakers are pressed glass, 2 3/4 inches tall, in the “Button Arches” pattern made by the US Glass Co.  “Button Arches,” and similar patterns with a decorated bottom and plain top, were perfect for creating on-the-spot personalized items. Locations, dates, and names could be easily engraved, cutting through the layer of stain. Souvenirs in the form of mugs, creamers, cordial glasses, toothpick holders, and the like were sold at fairs and festivals from the 1890s through the 1920s.

Who were Fannie and George? I doubt we’ll ever know for sure. This set was donated by our long-time glass and ceramics curator, who most likely spotted them at an antique store. I did find a potential match in the 1910 census, George and Fannie Chase of Wheaton, but there’s no particular reason to assume our George and Fannie were ever married. Unfortunately, there’s no match listed among the “Fair Week Weddings” (Washington Post, August 25, 1906) – unless Weldon Livingston Ferguson, Jr, of Loudon County, who married Frances Garner of Connecticut, went by “George.” (Apparently getting married at the Rockville Fair was kind of a thing; the article begins, “As usual, fair week brought a number of couples to Rockville on matrimonial errands.”) Perhaps, however, the Fair was an inspiration to George and Fannie, as it was to Miss Bessie Scott Montgomery of Washington. A September article in the Post describes Miss Montgomery as a “heroine of romance,” noting that she and George Kelchner of Rockville “had been sweethearts for several years, but some months ago they had a falling out, which to all appearances was of a permanent character. At the late Rockville Fair, however, they met and a reconciliation followed.” A few weeks later, they eloped. Who can deny the power of the fairground setting?

Some fantastic and fashionable hats at the Fair, 1906. MCHS collections.

Romantic imaginings aside, we can get an idea of what our unknown couple experienced at the Fair, thanks to extensive coverage in the Washington Post. The Fairgrounds were just outside Rockville, about where Richard Montgomery High School is today. The 1906 Fair lasted four days, from August 21st to the 24th, and drew visitors from local counties, Washington, and Baltimore. Crowds on the first three days were record-breaking, with the Post reporting “probably 7,000 persons on the grounds” on the second day; on the third day there was “an immense throng. . . probably as large a gathering as ever attended a Rockville Fair.” However, the weather was not terribly cooperative; a “terrific storm” on the 24th interrupted the racing, and “the intense heat all four days undoubtedly kept several thousand away.”

Crowds at the racetrack, Rockville Fair, 1906. MCHS collections.

All those throngs of people had plenty to see. There were eleven horse races held on the newly improved track. Baseball teams from Rockville and Kensington played on the 21st (Rockville won, 7 to 2). There were displays of horses, cattle, poultry, sheep and hogs, mules, garden and farm products, cakes and candies, honey, preserves and jellies, “fancy articles” and sewing, works of art, photographs, fruits, flowers, and children’s exhibits. The “grand cavalcade,” an exhibition of stock, was held on the morning of the 22nd, headed by young Margaret Jones (daughter of an Agricultural Society official) and Clements Offutt (son of Rockville’s mayor) riding Shetland ponies. Maryland Governor Edwin Warfield was “expected,” though I couldn’t tell from the articles if he ever showed up. The annual “fair ball” was held on the evening of the 24th.

Margaret Jones and Clements Offutt at the Fair, 1906. MCHS collections.

Altogether, George and Fannie probably had a pretty good time – and they brought home a matched set of souvenirs, to commemorate their day.

 

Thanks to our summer interns!

Historical Society interns work hard on a wide variety of projects. This past spring and summer we’ve had five students dedicating their time and energy to MCHS needs. You might get to hear from them in person in the near future, but in the meantime, let’s take a look at some fruits of their labors.

Josh, an MCPS student (and repeat intern, our favorite kind!) has been transcribing a 19^th century diary, written by Caroline Miller Farquhar of Norbeck. Carrie’s diaries have been featured a few times before (and one of the earliest volumes is currently on display in our exhibit on Montgomery County women in the Civil War), but there is still this one last volume to transcribe. Thanks to Josh (and the many other students who have taken their turn with Carrie’s peculiar handwriting), we’re almost there.

Two students from GW’s Museum Studies program chose to fulfil their internship requirement here at MCHS. Maggie has undertaken the task of updating the location inventory for our main storage area; in the process, she’s seen many of our artifacts and, I think, learned some interesting new facts about household management in the 19^th century. Here is our brass clock (or spit) jack, a mysterious item which inspired some internet searches. This puppy is worthy of a whole blog post to itself, but for now here’s a quick summary: clock jacks were used to evenly roast meat in a fireplace without too much tending. Once wound up, the clockwork mechanism – shown below – kept the spit (which hung from the bottom) turning.   This brass clock jack, circa 1850, was made by George Salter of England and is thought to have been used at the home of Charles England in Potomac. Ours still has its key, but it’s missing the round spit from which the meat hung; here’s a picture of a more complete one, from the collections of the New-York Historical Society. 

Maggie’s fellow-student Caitlin cataloged a significant portion of our medical book collection, adding the records to our computer database. One entertaining gem is the 1860 edition of Walker’s Manly Exercises and Rural Sports, published in London and owned by George Minor Anderson of Rockville. You will no doubt be delighted to learn, O manly readers, that this fine volume is available as a free ebook, complete with illustrations (for example, the link here takes you to the section on “vaulting” and “pole leaping” - scroll down to the picture, I implore you). Inspired by the artistic gymnastics portion of the London Olympics? Try it for yourself! (Note: MCHS is not responsible for any injuries incurred during Manly Exercises.)

Becky, a recent graduate of UMBC, interned here during the spring semester and stayed on as a summer office assistant. Her current project will be on view at the County Fair next week, as the “Old Timers” have once again kindly lent us space in their building. Becky surveyed our artifact and library collections for an exhibit on entries at both the past and current incarnations of the Fair. It’s good to have interns – they help you get to the things you haven’t yet gotten to, like taking photos of an 1884 knitted bedspread with crochet-lace border, made by Annie H. Settle of Virginia and entered in the “antiques” category of the Rockville Fair sometime in the early 20^th century.

Our fifth intern’s project is not quite ready for the internet yet, but it will be soon! Cathy, a student of the Johns Hopkins online museum studies program – and also a professional videographer – is creating a short promotional video to help MCHS tell the world about all the cool stuff we have and do.

Of course, this only brushes the surface of the many things our interns have done over the past few months. Less ‘exciting’ activities included stocking the shop, scanning photos, cleaning out the Dairy House, labeling newsletters, washing coolers, and dressing a mannequin in a 19^th century gown (well, hopefully they thought that was exciting). Museum work, especially in a small institution like ours, requires a certain willingness to do all kinds of boring and/or unexpected tasks.  The hard work of our interns (and of all our volunteers) helps keep MCHS running – we couldn’t do it without them!

Carrie Farquhar’s diaries donated by Roger Brooke Farquhar, Jr.  The clock jack donated by Warren Conklin.  Exercise book donated by the Anderson family.  Annie Settle’s bedspread donated by Gladys Benson.

 

Aqueducts and fairs, 1914

It’s August, which means the Montgomery County Fair is coming soon! (The Agricultural Center’s website is literally counting down the seconds until opening day.)   Since it’s Postcard Wednesday, here’s a card from 1914 that references the Fair.

Addressed to Mrs. John Peters, Germantown, Md., RFD #2.  Postmarked Dickerson, Md, 1914. “Dear Cousin Ada, Sorry [you] & Helen can’t come up & go to the fair wish you could.  Let Helen come up and stay a week with me.  Hope you all are well.  Love to all.  From Blanche.”

Okay, I did realize this morning that the postmark is dated October 1914, and that Blanche says “come up,“ which probably means she’s talking about the Frederick County Fair rather than Montgomery’s.  But I’d already figured out who Ada was, so here it is anyway!  Lillian Ada Collier (1876-1960) of Seneca married John W. Peters in 1896; in the 1910 census, John (a farm laborer) and Ada are listed near Germantown with their daughter Helen, born 1897.   (Cousin Blanche still eludes me – is she Ada’s maternal or paternal cousin, or John’s, ditto? English words for family relationships are too vague!) 

The front image of the postcard (published by Carroll Merchandise Co., Westminster, Md.) shows the Monocacy Aqueduct (built 1829-1833), which carries the C&O Canal over the Monocacy River and connects Montgomery and Frederick Counties.  So actually I like the fact that Blanche is talking about [probably] the Frederick Fair; it goes nicely with the image she chose.  Down-county-ers like myself can easily forget that our upcounty neighbors in Dickerson, Poolesville, and Damascus are closer to Frederick’s institutions and businesses than to things in Rockville or further south.   The Historical Society’s arbitrary distinction between Montgomery County and Other Places, while necessary for the sake of keeping our collections in check, has the disadvantage of downplaying the naturally fluid relationship between the county and surrounding jurisdictions.  Pay the Monocacy Aqueduct a visit this weekend, and wave to our neighbors in Frederick County!

 

Farm advertising banner, circa 1890s

In honor of next week’s Montgomery County Agricultural Fair (theme: “It’s Udderly Terrific!”), here’s an advertising banner used at a variety of fairs, exhibitions and livestock shows in the late 19th century.

The painted canvas banner measures 48″ x 29″, and has a number of nail (or rope) holes in each corner. The banner was folded in half for many years and some of the paint has rubbed off on the opposite side, making it a little hard to read: “Jersey Herd of ‘The Woodlands’ Farm. Clopper’s Post Office, Montgomery Co., Maryland. F. C. Hutton, Proprietor.” In very small letters near the bottom is added, “Economy Sign Co., Trenton N.J.”

Francis Clopper (Frank) Hutton (1863-1929) was the son of William Rich Hutton and Mary Augusta Clopper Hutton, and he lived most of his life at the family home, The Woodlands, in Clopper. The Woodlands has been featured on the blog before; to recap, the house – outside Gaithersburg, on Clopper Road in what is now Seneca Creek State Park – originally belonged to Francis Cassatt Clopper, whose daughter Mary Augusta married William Rich Hutton and inherited the house. The Huttons had five children who lived to adulthood: one daughter married and lived nearby; one daughter joined a convent; and two daughters and one son – Frank – never married, and stayed in their childhood home.

Frank’s obituary in the Montgomery County Sentinel tells us that he was a member of the Maryland State Roads Commission, but “although a civil engineer, he devoted most of his time to farming.” A history of the family, written by Frank’s great-niece Helen Caulfield Madine, summarizes his career: “Frank worked on the State Roads Commission and helped in the re-engineering of Route 240 from Rockville to Gaithersburg, and Rt. 117 from Gaithersburg to Clopper. He had a prize Jersey Herd and represented the state of Maryland at several National Agricultural Conventions. He once won second prize at a National Smoked Ham Competition.”

Among the many boxes of archival material donated by the Madines are several pamphlets on the care and feeding of cattle, evidently collected by Frank Hutton; a ledger book recording the Holstein-Friesian herd belonging to Germantown farmer Daniel W. Baker (which will probably appear on the blog sometime soon – once I figure out why the Huttons had Mr. Baker’s ledger); and this painted banner. Alas, we don’t have any photos of the banner in use (or of the Jersey Herd, for that matter), although similar painted banners can be seen in images of the Rockville (County) Fair from the 1920s. Mr. Hutton started exhibiting his cattle at the local fair in the late 1880s, when his farm was cited by a Washington Post reporter as one of those contributing to “the great advance taken by Montgomery County [in terms of cattle] during the past year or two. The quality of the animals has so improved during that time that a visitor viewing them would recognize but little relation between the breeds now exhibited and those brought to the fairgrounds formerly, and showed the effect of the introduction of imported and other thoroughbred cattle to the farms in this neighborhood” (September 6, 1889). However, a fire in January 1901 destroyed the Woodlands dairy buildings, and killed 27 Jersey cows; I haven’t yet discovered what happened to Hutton’s agricultural efforts after this, but his name no longer appeared amongst the prize winners at subsequent county fairs.

The County Extension Agent's booth at the Montgomery County (aka Rockville) Fair, 1922. Note the painted banner hanging from the tent. MCHS Library.

 

Pair of embroidered sleeves, ca. 1860

The Historical Society does a lot with the life and times of Dr. Edward E. Stonestreet (1830-1903) of Rockville. This is natural enough, seeing as how Dr. Stonestreet’s office is one of our museums. But what of his family? They usually end up a side note in our discussions, exhibits and presentations – not an unimportant one, but a side note all the same. Today, let’s pull one of those people off the sidelines and into the spotlight.

Shown here is one of a pair of fancy whitework sleeves, cotton, made with techniques including cutwork, embroidery, and some drawn-thread and darning. These circa 1860 sleeves belonged to Martha Rebecca Barry Stonestreet (1831-1902), who was born in Pennsylvania to the Rev. Basil Barry and Martha Willson Magruder Barry. The family moved to Rockville in the 1830s. Mrs. Barry came from an old Montgomery County family; her father, Dr. Zadock Magruder, was a son of Col. Zadock Magruder of Revolutionary War (and local-high-school-name) fame. Young Martha Barry attended the Jarboe School (which I have not yet tracked down), and at the age of 21 she married Dr. Edward E. Stonestreet, a fellow Rockville resident. The marriage was performed by her father, Rev. Barry, who served at the Rockville Methodist Episcopal Church.

The Stonestreets lived in a three story house in Rockville, which Edward bought from his parents in 1855. They had eight children, seven girls and one boy. Six of their daughters lived to adulthood; the youngest, Elsie, died in 1879 at only one year old. (The eight children were pretty spread out – the oldest, Mary Adelaide, was born in 1853.) Their son, Edward Jr., died in 1876 of typhoid; he was 21. The six surviving daughters all married before their parents’ deaths, and Martha and Edward had several grandchildren, most of them local.  Adelaide was widowed in 1886 and she and her two children lived with Martha and Edward for several years, as did Martha’s elderly father.  The 1870, 1880 and 1900 censuses indicate that a few servants lived in the household; Mrs. Stonestreet’s occupation – and I don’t mean to belittle it, since taking care of a dozen people in a 3 story house is no sinecure - is given as Keeping House. 

Various obituaries (for her) and a biographical note (for her husband) provide a few other details. The Washington Post gave Martha a small paragraph, under the headline Death of Mrs. Stonestreet, saying she “died last evening of valvular affection of the heart.” A death notice in the Nashville Christian Advocate, March 6 1902, said she “was a Methodist through and through,” however you choose to interpret that. A biography of Dr. Stonestreet, published in the 1925 Tercentenary History of Maryland, described her as a “charming, congenial and devoted helpmate.”

So much, then, for the written record (as currently known). What else? We have two photos of Mrs. Stonestreet, both taken relatively late in her life, and this pair of fancy sleeves. The donor, Martha’s great-granddaughter, said that the sleeves came off a brown and white silk dress. The style and shape of the sleeves date to the late 1850s or early 1860s. Perhaps the silk dress was modified over the years to follow the changing modes, or maybe it simply wore out, but the wide lace sleeves – no longer fashionable, but too costly or otherwise valued to discard – were saved after their removal. It’s entirely possible that she made the sleeves herself; a Mrs. Stonestreet won second premium at the 1894 Rockville Fair for “darning in cotton,” and while that may mean best sock-mending, I think it refers to fancywork. At any rate, she seems to have had some skill with the needle.

Dr. and Mrs. Stonestreet (center) with their daughters, ca. 1885. MCHS collections.

Poor Mrs. Stonestreet. I hope she doesn’t know that many people who visit her husband’s museum are, well, kind of mean about her photo. We don’t know what she looked like around 1860 – and, hey, try giving birth to eight children over a span of 25 years and see how chipper and youthful you look! – but we do know that she had at least one fashionable dress. Did she care about clothes? Did she love to read? Was she interested in her husband’s career, or did she prefer not to hear about it? We don’t know. Much as I love artifacts, even I admit that there’s only so much a pair of white lace sleeves can tell us.

Wide lace sleeves? These ladies show off the look in "Godey's Lady's Book," June 1855.

 

Hair wreath, 1834 or later

This fabulous object is a framed hair wreath, from the Holland family of Brookeville. The shadowbox frame measures two feet wide and two and a half feet high. It was donated in 1979 by Mrs. S.E.W. Friel, Jr. (née Margery Holland). Intended to celebrate a wedding or anniversary between the 1830s and 1880s, the wreath was probably made by one or more ladies of the Holland family.

Hair work was a Victorian craft, part of that era’s interest in elaborate fancywork. Women with the patience, time and skill made rings, brooches, bracelets, pendants, and pictures out of the hair of friends and relatives both alive and deceased (or bought from a catalog, when personal supplies ran short). Small pieces might combine locks from the maker’s parents or children; large wreaths, like ours, were usually made up of hair from one’s extended network of friends and relations. These formal pictures and wreaths would have been displayed in the parlor or other public room as an expression of pride in the maker’s skill, not just a memento or memorial. It’s often thought that these pieces (large or small) were made only for mourning, but they were also made to celebrate happy events, or simply compiled over time as a record of family and friends.

Detail photo by David Guiney, 2010.

The family story passed down to Mrs. Friel was that the wreath was made for the 1834 marriage of her great-grandparents, Ellen Claggett (1808-1877) and Grafton Holland (1800-1855). In a letter to MCHS, the donor said, “As I remember it – the center part was made of family hair, and the outer horseshoe part of hair of friends of the family.” Without wishing to cast doubt upon the family’s memories, the 1834 date might be a little too early. Most examples of this size with known provenance date to the 1860s-1880s; Grafton and Ellen’s son, James Claggett Holland (1837-1915), was married in 1866, which is a better fit. Or, perhaps even more likely, the wreath was made for the senior Hollands over a period of many years, or to celebrate an anniversary of that 1834 marriage.

By all accounts, hair work is a delicate, persnickety craft that requires deft fingers and a lot of patience; not just anyone could do it. Who made ours? Mrs. Friel did not have any suggestions, but I have a theory. At the 1880 Rockville Fair, a Miss H. Holland was awarded the prize for “Best Hair Work.” I am absolutely ready to believe that this is Grafton and Ellen’s daughter, Hannah Holland (1849-1883). Mrs. Friel also donated to MCHS a collection of quilts made by Grafton’s sisters and/or his daughter Hannah. Research on the quilts suggests that the Holland sisters, Sarah, Ann and Mercy, passed their quilting knowledge (and fabric stash) on to their niece. Perhaps one or more of them also enjoyed the fashionable craft of hair work, and taught that to Hannah as well. Based on the skill shown in their quilts, and on probably-Hannah’s fair prize, I’m willing to ascribe this work of art to one or more of the Holland ladies, until other evidence arises.

The Holland wreath hangs in the Getty Bedroom in the Beall-Dawson House, if you would like to come examine it yourself. When giving a tour, I always point it out – alas, many adults react in the same way most of the fourth grade students do: “Ewwww.” (It’s just hair, people!) This is yet another one of my favorite pieces in the museum, because like Mr. Poole’s piano stool, it has such a definite and specific story. For not-so-different reasons, the Holland family treasured it as part of their history – Mrs. Friel donated it in part because, she said, it was “much valued by [her] father, W. Grafton Holland, when he was alive.”

Grafton and Ellen Holland's tombstone, St. Mark's Episcopal Cemetery, near Brookeville

Want some more hair work? There are plenty of wreaths to be found on the internet, both for sale and in museum collections. Here are various links to museum examples, as well as some proof that though hair work is a Victorian craft, it’s not a vanished one.

Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection

Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database

The Victorian Hair Work Society, including a page on their headquarters, Leila’s Hair Museum in Missouri.

 

Agricultural tools

It’s Fair time again in Montgomery County! If you have plans to go, I encourage you to make your way up to the very top of the Fairgrounds to the Old Timers’ Building, where you’ll see many fabulous objects similar to the fabulous ones I’ve featured on this blog. (An imaginary prize to those of you who spot/recognize a fireless cooker!) These objects do not come from museums; instead they are contributed each year by Montgomery County residents from their own collections. (Yes, I do covet many of these items, but no, I do not lurk at the entrance handing out my card.) The Old Timers’ Building is also the home of: antique cars, tractors, and fire engines; the fruit, vegetable and flower competition; various demonstrations throughout the day; and a small exhibit by the Montgomery County Historical Society. Then your walk back to the parking lot is downhill, and takes you past the cheese place, the ice cream place, Old McDonald’s Barn, the bunny barn… it’s well worth the trek through the Fairgrounds!

Oh, right, I’m supposed to be talking about our own artifacts. Here are two agricultural implements, whose friends and relations you might see at the Old Timers’ display.

This handmade apple picker comes from The Briers, the Jones family’s home outside of Olney. I think it’s fairly easy to envision how it works: pull the apple off with the ‘claws’ at the top, and it falls into the lacrosse-stick-like basket. Made of metal wires twisted into a basket shape and attached to an unfinished stick (still has its bark and all, though well-worn with use), it’s 4 feet long from end to end. It dates from the 19^th century, but could have been used up until the day (in 1962) that it was donated by Mrs. Josiah Waters Jones.

This double-pronged iron ice hook (6 inches from point to point) was originally attached to an 8 or 10 foot pole; today it is on a much shorter replacement handle. The donor, William Nicholson, is the one who rescued the iron hook and gave it a new handle; according to his information, this was used in “the late 1910s or early 1920s to haul blocks of ice from ponds to Rockville ice houses” – specifically, ponds located about where today I-270 crosses Falls Road. Those of you familiar with the area, please envision hauling heavy blocks of ice from the Falls Road interchange to, say, the Rockville town center. (Now go thank your freezer’s ice-maker.) The replacement pole is a finished handle, stamped “Wire Hrd & Lbr” for Wire Hardware & Lumber, a Rockville landmark for many years; to learn more about the business and the building, check out Peerless Rockville’s history.

 

Souvenir scarf, 1893

Here we have a silk scarf, a souvenir of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago. Closer examination (yes, I know that I take terrible photographs, but if you click on the image it’ll give you a larger version) shows the image of the Machinery Hall in the silk, with the words “Souvenir Woven at the World’s Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893″ (plus “Machinery Hall” in case you were in doubt) waving in a banner overhead. In the lower corner the name Miss Florence Warters was machine-embroidered in red thread, probably on the spot in the Machinery Hall.

I suspect that the machine operator made an error, and that Miss Florence Waters (not Warters) of Montgomery County was somewhat disappointed in her personalized souvenir. Florence Waters was born in Darnestown in 1873, and married Oliver Baker in 1896; at the time of her death, in 1951, she lived in Rockville, about a block away from the home of the scarf’s donors, the Hancock family. Unfortunately we can only speculate on what Florence thought of her misspelled scarf: was it a funny joke, or did she pack it away and forget about it? Did she get another one, this time spelled correctly? All we know is that she kept it, and over 100 years later it is still here to remind us of her trip to Chicago to see the sights.

Today’s artifact choice was inspired by my visit this past weekend to the Missouri History Museum’s fabulous exhibit on the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. I love World’s Fairs – not that I’ve ever been to one – and if I had a time machine, well first I would go and rescue the 1890 census but then I would spend some time at as many Fairs as I can find before the time machine inevitably goes wrong and I have to fight off giant dinosaurs or something…. uh, but enough about me. Our collections contain artifacts from a variety of Fairs, ranging from a pair of salt & pepper shakers from the 1962 Seattle Fair to an extremely elaborate embalming pump exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Souvenirs remind us of places we’ve been, and the people we were at the time; the souvenirs of those who came before us, however trivial they may be in terms of materials or value, remind us that the human urge to remember and commemorate (and spend money) is much older than we are.

 

Giveaway fan, ca. 1920

As DC area residents are enjoying – or suffering, depending on one’s temperament - a little early-April heat wave, I imagine some people would appreciate a nice giveaway advertising paper fan about now.  This example was collected at the Rockville Fair around 1920, by a member of the England family of Rockville.

The Rockville Fair – precursor to today’s Montgomery County Agricultural Fair - was held every August on fairgrounds located where Richard Montgomery High School is today.  Just like the modern fair, the earlier version was host to vendors from across the county and neighboring cities, vendors who wanted you to remember them and their wares after the fair was over – and who doesn’t love to pick up a useful freebie or two? 

Our paper fan is one of 25 similar fans collected, most likely, by Mary England Ward.  All but four of them were distributed by Washington, DC piano retailers, although it’s not clear whether this is because Miss England (as she was until her 1928 marriage) had a penchant for piano stores, or because piano stores had the prettiest fans.   The printed images vary; some are cute children and animals, some are patriotic in theme, and a few have pseudo “Oriental” scenes, like this one.  Most of the fans are simply cardboard ovals stapled to a wooden handle, but this fan is a little fancier; perhaps the Percy S. Foster Piano Company had a big advertising budget that year.

 

Trophy, 1931

In honor of the upcoming Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, this week’s artifact is a silver trophy cup awarded to the Community Garden Club of Rockville at the 1931 Rockville Fair.  The prize was awarded by the Washington Evening Star newspaper for the best display at the Flower Show.  Here’s the full text, as inscribed in a nice early-1930s font: “Rockville Fair Flower Show / The Evening Star Gardens Club Cup / Aug 18-21 1931 / Winning Club / Community Garden Club of  Rockville Md.”  The Rockville Garden Club had a good year; we also have their trophy awarded by the Fair Association, again for “winning club” at the flower show in 1931, as well as their winning Evening Star Cup for the previous year, 1930.  The Rockville Garden Club donated these three trophies to us in 1973. 

The Rockville Fair – essentially the County Fair – was held at the fairgrounds in Rockville, where Richard Montgomery High School is today. The Montgomery County Agricultural Society began the annual fair in 1846; it moved to the permanent fairgrounds in 1856, and continued there every year (with a few breaks during the Civil War) until 1932. At that point the Agricultural Society, like much of the country, was having financial difficulties, and the fairgrounds were sold to the Montgomery County School Board; that was the end of the first incarnation of the County Fair. In 1949, after several years of planning, local 4-H leaders held the first revived County Fair in Gaithersburg; today it is the largest County Fair in Maryland.

I do realize that this is the second fair-related item on this blog (and it’s only, what, the seventh post?) but what can I say, I’m in a summer mood and am ready for the Fair.  Bring on the pig races, Bunny Barn, funnel cake, Home Arts show, and random vendors!  (You can have the rides.)