Louise Tompkins

THE WASHINGTON HOLLOW FAIR

Louise Tompkins

Historical notes and personal experiences at the original Dutchess County fairgrounds. Louise Tompkins is town historian of the Town of Washington.

The original fairground of the Dutchess County Agricultural Society, organized in 1806, 1 was situated at the

northeast corner of Routes 82 and 44 at Washington Hollow.

It was so named to honor George Washington. According to

tradition he and his officers made camp one night under a

huge cottonwood tree which stood in front of the present

Cottonwood Inn.

For a great many years, the Washington Hollow Fairwas

the grand event of the summer season. Farmers and their

families came from all over the county in coaches drawn by

four horses, wagons drawn by two horses, carriages drawn by

one horse, ox carts, and on foot. Many of the families had

to leave home at 4 o'clock in the morning so they could

spend as much time as possible at the Fair.

The farmers usually owned their own farms. Some lived

on farms which had been in the family for three genera-

tions. The farmers, their wives, children and grandchild-

ren all knew each other. When they arrived at the Fair,

they greeted each other with such joy and enthusiasm that

they seemed to be at a Farmer's Reunion, instead of at a

country fair.

Bands played lively music, and when one band stopped

playing, another began. Vendors sold cotton candy and

lemonade, "made in the shade, by an Old Maid"--or so they

said! Farmers' wives displayed at booths their canned

fruits, jellies, pickled pears, peaches, and cucumbers. At

other booths they displayed things they had made such as bedspreads, rugs, dresses, aprons, and other handmade

items. The farmers exhibited their finest horses, cows,

sheep, pigs, goats, chickens, turkeys, geese, and ducks. Some farmers started the day before the Fair opened to

drive their cattle along the road to the Fair, arriving at the Fairground in the late afternoon. Animals were put in the barns or under the sheds, where they spent a restful night. In the morning they were refreshed and ready to be judged for prizes.

The horse races were the sensational attraction at the

Fair. Some farmers raised, trained and raced their own

horses at the race track built on the fairgrounds in 1842. Edwin Thorne raised race horses at Thorndale, his estate

near Millbrook. His magnificent stallion named Thorndale was the father of Lady Thorndale, one of the fastest race

horses of her time. She trained and raced on the Washington Hollow Fairground race track, although Thorne had built his own track at Thorndale. When the famous stallion died,

he was buried on the lawn at Thorndale, and 300 people attended his funeral!

Azariah Arnold of Washington Hollow raised abeautiful race horse which he named Mambrino Chief after a character

in Mambrino's "Helmet", a popular mystery novel of that time. Mambrino Chief raced at the Fairground and his ability deeply impressed Edwin Thorne. When James B. Clay,

son of Henry Clay, came north looking for good horses, Edwin Thorne advised him to buy Mambrino Chief. He followed Mr. Thorne's advice and took the horse back to

Kentucky, where he became the ancestor of the famous

Kentucky race horses.

One day Washington Velie of Washington Hollow saw a lively brown mare following behind a gypsy wagon. He purchased her, named her Flora Temple, and trained her as a race horse. She became a famous race horse, and the

inspiration for the song "Camptown Races." Beautiful cattle were exhibited at the Washington Hollow Fairground. George Ayrault of La Grange exhibited oxen which weighed 4,000 pounds apiece. His magnificent "Queen of Cows" weighed 3,800 pounds and had to be transported in a specially constructed sledded pen. The Queen of Cows was exhibited in Chicago in 1876.

Dr. G. Howard Davison of Altamont Stock Farm near

Millbrook, exhibited in the early 1890's beautiful prize-

winning Shropshire sheep which he imported from England.

Dr. Davison also exhibited prize-winning Guernsey cattle,

Berkshire pigs, horses and prize-winning white ponies he

imported from England.

I remember the first time I went to this famous Fair

with my grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Hale, in 1913.

Grandpa hitched Topsy, his fast road horse, to the carriage with the top. Grandma and I climbed into the carriage with him and Topsy took us at a fast trot to the Fair

at Washington Hollow. Grandma met several ladies at the Exhibition Hall. They went into the Hall together, talking happily about what had happened since last year. Grandpa drove Topsy under a shed, and tied her there. Then he and I walked around the grounds looking at all the beautiful

animals. We stopped at the grandstand to watch the trot-

ting horse races. I had never seen a horse race and I was thrilled to see the horses flash around the race track at a

terrific rate of speed for horses--or so it seemed to me. Grandpa picked the winner in each race, and I picked the

loser!

"Weezie", Grandpa said, "we can't stay for the baseball game, we must start now if I am to get home in time to milk our cows." After we picked up Grandma at the Exhibi-

tion Hall, Topsy galloped home as fast as any race horse. As we drove into our driveway, Grandma said happily, "This is the end of a perfect day!" A day at the Washington Hollow Fair was one to be remembered always.

ENDNOTES

1Helen W. Reynolds, "The Dutchess County Agricultural Society", Yearbook, Dutchess County Historical Society, 1928, 54; Caroline Haviland, "Some of the Members of the Dutchess County Agricultural Society in 1853", Yearbook, Dutchess County Historical Society, 1942, 55-57.

Joseph Wild, Commissioner at the draft wheel used in the second draft in the 12th district of New York on May 31, 1864 at Poughkeepsie, N.Y. From pen and ink sketch from President Roosevelt's collection at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N.Y.