Reminiscing about Food and the Fair

With the Knox County Fair from July 27th-August 1st, we’re reminded of the rich agricultural history of the State of Indiana and Knox County. We find ourselves having conversations and reminiscing about fair weeks in the past. We also think about sharing food with friends and families.

When the topic of reminiscing about food in Indiana is discussed, I recall the excellent series of books published in 1983 by I.U. Press entitled, Memories of Hoosier Homemakers. This six volume series is the culmination of an oral history project edited by Eleanor Arnold. Indiana’s first home economics clubs were formed in 1913. The purpose of the clubs was to receive home economics lessons developed by the Cooperative Extension of Purdue University. Thirty four years ago, the IEHA (Indiana Extension Homemakers Association) launched an oral history project. Most of the women interviewed were over the age of 70 and the books focus on the time period between 1910 and the 1940’s. The intriguing titles are:

• Feeding Our Families-Volume 1
• Party Lines, Pumps and Privies-Volume 2
• Buggies and Bad Times-Volume 3
• Girlhood Days-Volume 4
• Going to Club-Volume 5
• Living Rich Lives-Volume 6

Each volume is rich with raw data about small town and rural women of Indiana. Indiana Humanities Council provided major funding for these social history books. Visit the library’s McGrady-Brockman House to peruse these books. The call number is 640.9772 ME.

To celebrate the Knox County Fair, there are displays in the main library, 502 N. 7th Street and at the McGrady-Brockman House, 614 N. 7th Street, Vincennes.

To learn about the history of the Knox County Farm Fair, look for the book, History of Indiana’s Oldest County Fair, 1809-1992 by Erwin D. Scott at the McGrady-Brockman House, 614 N. 7th Street, Vincennes. In Brian Spangle’s books about 20th century Knox County history you’ll read several chapters about fair highlights through the decades. You can find a brief history of the fair on pages 118 and 119 in the local historian’s first book, Vincennes History You Don’t Know. In the index of this book, you’ll find five other references to the Knox County Farm Fair and Knox County Fairgrounds.

In Spangle’s second book, Hidden History of Vincennes and Knox County, you can read, on page 89, about a history making race in 1915 at the Knox County Fair. That’s when the fair was conducted at what is now, Gregg Park. In another interesting chapter in Spangle’s second book, you can read, on page 153, about a girl from Freelandville who was an international canning champion.

Also at the McGrady-Brockman House, there are annual Knox County Fair Guides for 1955, 1956, 1976, 1985 and 1986. Entitled the Premium List, each guide includes but isn’t limited to the schedule of events, departments, rules for fair entries and local advertising.