Home › Resources › The Sandwich Fair of 1901
The First Document in the HSI Preservation Series
No. 1
Originally published in the Sandwich Argus
September 14, 1901
About This Document
For more than a century, this remarkable newspaper account rested quietly in the pages of the Sandwich Argus.
Written only days after the 1901 Sandwich Fair concluded, its anonymous reporter never intended to write history. He simply described what he saw, merchants arranging their exhibits, farmers proudly displaying livestock, machinery demonstrations, familiar business names, and thousands of visitors gathering to celebrate another Sandwich Fair.
Today, those ordinary observations have become one of the richest surviving snapshots of everyday life in Sandwich at the dawn of the twentieth century.
At the center of the Sandwich Fair stood Floral Hall, a massive two-story exhibition building measuring approximately 100 by 150 feet. Despite its name, it housed far more than flowers. Visitors wandered among merchant displays, agricultural exhibits, artwork, household goods, machinery, and community exhibits, making Floral Hall one of the busiest destinations on the fairgrounds.
The transcription that follows preserves the reporter’s work as faithfully as possible while improving readability for modern audiences. Formatting has been modernized, and editorial section headings have been added to improve navigation. Otherwise, the reporter’s words have been preserved as faithfully as possible.
Our role is not to rewrite history.
It is to preserve it.
1901 Sandwich Argus Fair Coverage
A complete transcription of the Sandwich Argus coverage of the 1901 Sandwich Fair.
Why We Preserve Original Sources
Newspapers printed more than a century ago are becoming increasingly difficult to read and access. By presenting both the original page and a searchable transcription, Historic Sandwich, Illinois hopes to preserve these records for future generations while making them accessible to today’s readers. The complete transcription is presented below.
The Sandwich Fair of 1901
Originally published in the Sandwich Argus
Tuesday the first day of the Sandwich Fair for 1901 was a cloudy day and an omen of bad weather for fair week, but notwithstanding the bad outlook for the weather there were over 100 entries made in the different departments, and by Wednesday noon the entry list was swelled to 160.
Wednesday morning opened with a good rain falling and it continued to rain hard all day, not only wetting everything down but practically stopping the fair for that day.
It continued raining Wednesday night and on Thursday continued showering all day, yet notwithstanding the bad day Thursday, about 4,000 people attended the fair. The ball game was played under difficulties and was necessarily a poor exhibition of a game.
Friday opened with nice bright sunshine and was a day of all days. A large concourse of people gathered upon the grounds to see the various attractions. The ball game between Sycamore and Aurora clubs was a red hot contest. Sycamore 13, Aurora 5. Jack Picket, of the Spaldings of Chicago, umpired the game. Sycamore battery, Lundgren and Hughes; Aurora battery, Parker and Reading.
Several of the races were pulled off in the mud. The time was slow.
The fair will be continued over to Saturday, at which time the advertised program for Wednesday and the unfinished part of Thursday’s will be carried out.
While the week has been a bad one for the fair, to the energetic president, W. G. Beveridge, and to the accommodating secretary, C. L. Stinson, and to the directors is due the large measure of success the fair had considering the week.
Mr. Beveridge was working hard, early and late, and Mr. Stinson was at his post as early and had his work well in hand, the larger part of the work being done previous to the opening day. The officers and directors of the association are entitled to and should receive a vote of thanks from the stockholders as well as the commendation of the citizens for their good work in spite of the adverse conditions.
Floral Hall Exhibits
On entering the east door of the Floral Hall we find Burkhart and Son with a large display of crockery and furniture, tastefully arranged. In his furniture display is a sitting room set and an elegant bedroom set. Next in line, on the south side, is Fred Harrod with a nicely arrayed display of fancy groceries. In the northeast corner of the hall is the California Windmill Company, with their usual display of acetyline gas and gas fixtures and one Lone cooking range, occupying a part of their space.
Geo. Kleinsmid gets to the front in his same old place in the northwest corner and north side with a large display of stoves and hardware. On the north side joining Mr. Kleinsmid’s display comes Lewis Blietz with his nice display of furniture, among which is a dining room set, a parlor set and a bedroom set, taking up the balance of the north side on the main floor.
In the center of the hall is a large display of pumpkins, squash, corn and cabbages, turnips, beets, seeds, and in fact all kinds of garden crop, and the wonder to us is, where it all came from considering the dry season we have had. Also jellies, canned fruits, plums, peaches and apples are in this display, while flowers of nearly all kinds are on one of the large stands adjoining.
The Black Brewer’s Musical Company, of Chicago, entertained the crowd at the west end of the main floor. They are adepts in their line and always have a crowd around them while they are singing and dancing.
Floral Hall Second Floor Exhibits
Upon ascending the stairway in the northeast corner of the hall you come to Warner’s display which extends two-thirds of the way across the south side of the second floor. Warner has, with his usual energy, gotten together a display from his store in town consisting of dress goods, gent’s furnishings, clothing and shoes, which is tastefully arranged and gives a person a fair idea of the assortment he carries in his large general store and of the good quality he sells.
Joining Warner’s display on the west comes Burkhart Bros., of the Racket Store, with their display of crockery, glassware, children’s playthings and an elegant line of lamps. These boys have a display which attracts a great deal of attention. West of them will be found Spickerman’s exhibit of bicycles and bicycle sundries. In fact, we think on a pinch Chris could outfit the most fastidious bicycle crank from his exhibit.
C. H. Best occupies the southwest corner with a display of American Singer sewing machines, showing them in operation on almost all kinds of work.
On the west end Mrs. Ida Becker shows a fine display of millinery, while the north side of this floor is occupied by fancy needlework, drawn work, table spreads, quilts, rugs, painting and crayon work. The space allotted to this fancy work is more than filled.
On the east of the fancy work section is a display of decorated china which is well worth your time to examine. Next to the stairway on the north side was E. Delhoyde, of Chicago, with shells and souvenirs which it was his pleasure to dispose of at a fair price to all who wished to take home something useful and ornamental as a souvenir of the fair.
In the east end of this floor Gualano Bros.’ Orchestra, of Sycamore, rendered music which interested a large number of the visitors at all times.
Outdoor Machinery & Vehicle Exhibits
At the southwest of the Floral Hall Will Dean has an exhibit of swings. West of the hall is the Enterprise Company exhibit, which consists of Enterprise and Perkins wood windmills, aerial steel mills, pine and cypress tanks, Handy and Red Cross carts, tank heaters, ear corn slicers, windmill and hand pumps, cylinders, float valves, pipe tools and lawn swings. Also a line of American and DeKalb farm fence and gates and likewise a Pope fence machine.
Bruckner & Callagan’s exhibit of Bradley plows, harrows, cultivators and buggies are west of the Enterprise Company’s exhibit. Then comes the Sandwich Manufacturing Company’s exhibit, which is large, and in their exhibit are corn shellers of all kinds, from the Corn King hand sheller to the large Centrifugal Sheller which shells its thousands of bushels a day. Hay presses, Clean Sweep hay loaders, feed grinders, water tanks, tank heaters and barrel and box carts. If you don’t find what you want on the grounds, just call at their office in town and they will be glad to show you the balance of their line.
Across the driveway from the Sandwich Manufacturing Company’s exhibit John Betz has a large display of surreys and buggies. On the east Lyman Thorp has an exhibit of wagons, buggies and farm machinery, while between these two exhibits L. A. Keene, of Waterman, has two of the Kemp manure spreaders.
East of the Thorp exhibit was Gus Walter with a magnificent display of traps, surreys and buggies which show the good and artistic work that he does at his carriage manufactory in Sandwich.
Livestock Exhibits
Horses
In the department for horses there are a number of fine horses exhibited, among which might be mentioned those of Ernest Suppess, of Somonauk, who has three mares and colts in the general purpose class and also a fine Percheron stallion. E. Kastler, of Leland, also exhibits a Percheron stallion.
Wm. Rumney, of Somonauk, has four Percherons and one draft horse, and Robert Cole, of Franks, has a French Percheron stallion.
J. Miller exhibits a Clyde mare and colt, and August Miller has a number of entries, among them a Percheron draft stallion, a coach mare, two general purpose horses and roadsters.
Art Keys has a fine general purpose horse and a roadster horse on the grounds.
Cattle
The cattle sheds this year are well filled and make a fine showing. The prominent herds are H. Thompson, of Woodstock, who has a herd of eleven Hereford cattle on which he gets a number of premiums.
S. M. Henderson, of Waterman, has four Durhams on which he gets three first premiums, while Messrs. Two & Son, of Pecatonica, have a herd of eight Holsteins with several premiums.
L. S. Jones, of Millington, exhibits a herd of six Galloways on which he gets five first and one second premium.
C. E. Cook, of Huntley, has a herd of Brown Swiss cattle on which he has a number of premiums.
Charles Pope, of Yorkville, shows eleven Red Polls, which are fine, and is awarded seven first and three second premiums.
H. Challand, of Carleton, has two Shorthorns and got first and second premium.
R. J. Cole, of Waterman, has seven Polled Angus cattle which called for three first and four second premiums.
Fred Fridsch has a good showing of Aberdeen Angus cattle and on them was given four first premiums.
Robert Rumney, of Somonauk, has five Shorthorns which bring him a return of four first and one second premiums.
Sheep
In the sheep pens is a fine lot of stock. P. F. Slater, of Hinckley, had a nice herd of eighteen head of Shropshires and was awarded two first and one second premiums, and Mr. Chas. Bark had a good showing of eight Shropshires.
E. Kirkpatrick exhibited fourteen Shropshires, getting on them three first premiums. Also Mr. H. Challand had four fine Shropshires.
Mr. Fay Harrington had six nice sheep of the Shropshire breed on which he secured three second premiums, and Will Whitson had six head of Shropshires and got one second premium.
L. J. Lamson showed a herd of Dorset Horned sheep, securing on them six first and six second premiums.
R. T. James, of Big Rock, has a herd of sixteen long wools and was awarded on them four first and one second premiums.
In the sheep department for the sweepstake prize, E. Kirkpatrick was given first premium and L. J. Lamson second.
Swine
The swine department was a good showing this year and all the pens were full with a fine grade of pigs.
S. W. Myers, of Sugar Grove, has a fine pen showing ten Poland Chinas. Also Mr. Challand has an exhibit of four Poland Chinas.
T. J. Warren, of Victor, has an exhibit of ten Chester White pigs, securing four first and two second premiums.
Lamson Bros. have Poland Chinas, getting four first and two second premiums.
L. R. Morton, of Leland, also shows Poland Chinas, getting two first and one second premiums.
Tom Bryant had one lone Poland China exhibited, but he secured a first premium on that.
Andrew Gilchrist showed a herd of fine Duroc-Jersey swine and was given two first and two second premiums, while H. E. Arnold, of Somonauk, had twenty-two Chester Whites and was awarded five first and four second premiums.
C. Benjamin, of Sugar Grove, had a pen of Berkshires on which he got two first and three second premiums.
A. A. Arnold exhibited several pens of Poland Chinas and was awarded three first and four second premiums.
Poultry
The poultry house was enlarged and remodeled this year, but it was still as full as usual and made a fine showing of all kinds and breeds of chickens, from the little bantams to some as large as ordinary turkeys. There were also ducks, geese, turkeys, etc., and a number of cages of pigeons of various kinds, making a very interesting and pleasing exhibit.
Continue The Story
125 Years ago at The Sandwich Fair
Source
Originally published in the Sandwich Argus
September 14, 1901
Transcribed and formatted by Historic Sandwich, Illinois for preservation and research purposes.
Preservation Note
This document has been preserved by Historic Sandwich, Illinois as part of the HSI Preservation Series. Original formatting has been modernized for readability, but the reporter’s words have been retained as faithfully as possible.