Jul 7, 2023 8 min read

The Washington County Agricultural Fair is Pennsylvania’s oldest fair, dating back to October 1798.

It will celebrate its 225th anniversary Aug. 12-19.

The Washington County Agricultural Fair aims to promote and advance the interests of agriculture, horticulture, homemaking subjects, arts, sciences and all kindred arts. The mission also encourages 4-H club work, FFA activities and other educational work. The fair also serves to create closer coordination between agriculture, business and industry in the area and to develop industrial and commercial participation in conjunction with the exhibits.

Washington County Agriculture Fair Board Secretary Wayne Hunnell says Washington County has a sizable agriculture industry.

The most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture 2017 Census of Agriculture ranked Washington County’s agricultural industry as one of the largest in the state.

The USDA ranked Washington County fourth overall in Pennsylvania with 1,760 farms and the largest by far in Western Pennsylvania, trailing only Lancaster, York and Berks County among the state’s 67 counties.

“From the state’s standpoint, agricultural is the largest economic business from the state of Pennsylvania,” Hunnell said. “Around 68 percent of the state economy is related to agriculture in some fashion. Agriculture is the largest economic driver in Washington County. The purpose of the fair is the promotion of agriculture being done in a variety of ways with the 4-H clubs, and working with local farms to bring them all together in the agriculture arena.”

The Washington County Agricultural Fair began in October 1798.

Originally named the Morganza Fair, it served as an exhibition to sell sheep and cattle.

December 1821

The first long-standing efforts to organize an agricultural society in Washington County occurred. Two committees were formed – one to draft by-laws and the other to solicit subscribers. By October 1824, they had the names of 214 subscribers.

March 1822

The Washington County Society for the Promotion of Agricultural and Domestic Manufacture was organized. This group was one of the first 19 groups of its kind to form in the United States up to 1826. In 1822, the fair was held in a lot owned by James Ruth on East Maiden Street, and in 1823, it was changed to the John Sample Farm, located east on the National Pike. The top winner of the exhibition was James Gilmore, and he was awarded $16 for “the best Merino Ram and two best Merino Ewes and Best Brood Sow.” Over the next few years, the fair was held on a lot on the south side of West Chestnut St. on a lot owned by Samuel MacFarland.

September 1847

The Washington County Society for the Promotion of Agricultural and Domestic Manufacture was reorganized, and they hosted their first fair on Oct. 15, 1847. They had 273 members – each paying $1 for their membership to the society. The fair was scheduled for October for the next two years. The next time the fair would move would be in 1852.

May 1855

The society became incorporated and obtained a charter. At this time, the property known as the fairgrounds had been purchased, located near Trinity Hall on Park Avenue and South Main Street. The fair remained and was held here for 30 years.

October 1866

A shocking 1,422 entries were made for the fair this year, an all-time high. The grandstand and horse track were also added at this time.

December 1885

The Washington County Society for the Promotion of Agricultural and Domestic Manufacture was dissolved, and the lands were sold to Washington and Jefferson College; however, in the following May, the Western Pennsylvania Agricultural Society was formed. Some organizers included Julius LeMoyne, Robert Carrons, A.G. Happer, R.D. Wylie and W.W. Hunter. They raised $20,000 (from 400 subscribers, each paying $50) and obtained grounds in Tylerdale.

September 1898

Admission prices to the fair were 25 cents per person or vehicle. The fair stayed in Tylerdale until the fall of 1901.

1901-1911

No fair took place in Washington County. However, in June 1911, the Washington Fair Association, with the sole purpose of bringing the fair back to its hometown, collected $40,000 from 800 shareholders. The association was able to purchase 100 acres of land in Arden.

September 1913

Now with a permanent home for the fair, the Fair Association concentrated its efforts on offering various educational and entertaining activities, exhibits and contests. The stock judging contest was introduced and quite progressive at the time, allowing boys and girls to participate. In total, 39 boys and one girl participated in the competition and were awarded free admission to the grounds. The stock judging contest winner was awarded a 13-week course at the Pennsylvania State University, which the Fair Association donated.

July 1914

The fair was held over the Fourth of July and included horse and mule racing, a four-day horseshoe pitching competition, a lime crushing contest and the stock judging contest became an annual event. There was also a contest for loaves of bread baked by girls not over 16 to encourage them to showcase their homemaking skills. Coin-operated turnstiles were initiated to reduce line wait time at the gates.

1917

DeLoyd Thompson, a professional aviator from Washington, gave the first exhibition of trick flying in an airplane ever witnessed in the county.

1926

A dog show was added to the fair schedule. Pigeons were added to the poultry judging. Auto and motorcycle racing was held at the grandstand, and a fireworks display was offered.

1953

The junior exhibit building was erected, allowing more and new types of items and animals to be exhibited.

1964

The first market sale was held and was known as “The First Baby Beef Show and Sale.” By 1965, the sale had extended to include sheep, offering fairgoers “The Second Annual Baby Beef and Fat Lamb Show and Sale.”

1974-1997

The fairgrounds have undergone a lot of physical changes throughout these years. These include rebuilding the pony barn and erecting the 4-H horse barn, allowing all 4-H horses to be located in a single barn. The bleachers in the grandstand were demolished and replaced with aluminum ones. The floral hall was built, and exhibit hall 1 and exhibit hall 2 were remodeled to allow more room. The pig barn was built, and the fair office was replaced. The main stage has been replaced.

August 2022

Over 2,000 animals were shown at the 224th Washington County Agricultural Fair, with 2,600 agricultural exhibits and 6,600 youth and craft exhibits.

Some fair facts

The Washington County Agricultural Fair is an eight-day fair attracting more than 65,500 spectators annually. Total fair and expo center attendance exceeds 135,000 annually.

The event hosts 2,000 animals: horses, dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep, swine, goats, lamas, poultry, rabbits and more. There are also 2,600 agricultural exhibits, such as hay, grain, vegetables, fruits, nuts and the like, as well as over 6,600 youth and craft exhibits, like 4-H projects, vocational displays, homemade products, needlepoint, floral exhibits, arts, crafts and photos.

Entertainment includes high school band night, school bus demolition, demolition derby, street stock trucks, mud bog, pro stock tractors, antique tractors, concerts and more.

The carnival is a central family entertainment element of the fair.

The annual economic impact of the fair is $5,203,000 as of 2019.

Some expo center facts

The fairgrounds include five exhibit halls, 10 barns, a grandstand and the show arena.

The fairgrounds are active on a year-round basis attracting various shows and exhibits. Almost all these events are rentals where organizations lease the facility. The largest of these events is the two-week Pennsylvania Arts and Craft Christmas Festival, which draws nearly 15,000 visitors annually. The subsequent most significant events include the All-Clad Sale, RV Show, ARH Gun Show and Sale, the Duncan Miller Glass Show and Sale and the Family Festival and County Home Show. Most events occur over multiple days and weekends. The expo center hosts more than 345 events annually, attracting nearly 70,000 visitors.

Fairground improvements and master plan

The Washington County Fair Board and Washington County have developed a master plan for facility improvements that will upgrade the fairgrounds’ overall look, feel and operations.

Some of the recent improvements include a fairgrounds trolley bridge and platform, a new donated steer barn, paving and updated wayfinding signage.

Last year, attendees enjoyed a general update of the CNX show arena and the main street video board sign project that EQT funded.

This year’s fairgoers will enjoy a complete renovation to hall number 3, road paving, new sidewalks, fencing, painting and the completion of the perimeter fence and fairground entrances. The draft horse barn restoration, the 4-H horse barn, memorial plaza and commemorative mural, too, will be new for patrons this year.

Following the 2023 fair, work will begin on the following projects:

Hall No. 1

Guernsey, Jersey, and Poultry Barn

Historic barn/pavilion

Hunnell said volunteers have helped steer the continued success of the fair.

“It really comes back to the people in what they saw the need to promote agriculture,” he said. “There are activities here every week. There’s hardly a weekend that goes by that there isn’t something going on.”