Meigs County Fairgrounds

The Meigs County Fairgrounds is a county fairgrounds located north of Pomeroy in Meigs County, Ohio, United States. Some of the fairgrounds has been designated a historic site, with particular emphasis having been placed on the fairgrounds' racetrack and its associated grandstand.

Meigs County Fairgrounds, Grandstand and Racetrack
Buildings at the fairgrounds
LocationState Route 124 near Rock Springs, Ohio
Coordinates39°3′44″N 82°0′53″W
Area11 acres (4.5 ha)
Built1889
NRHP reference No.82001473[1]
Added to NRHPNovember 29, 1982

The first Meigs County Fair was held in the village of Middleport in 1861. Within nine years, the fair's organizers had bought the land occupied by the current grounds. The construction dates of some elements of the grounds are unknown, but the present sharply-curved racetrack was finished in 1889 or earlier. In 1890, donations by average citizens paid for the construction of a grandstand by the track to supplement a nearby hillside where fairgoers had previously sat. Instead of being placed simply along one side of the track, the grandstand curves around the northeastern turn of the track; it is the only curved grandstand at an Ohio county fairgrounds.[2]

In 1982, much of the fairgrounds, including the racetrack and grandstand, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1] Besides the unusual method of construction seen in the grandstand and track, the fairgrounds qualified for its importance in the area's social history as a reflection of the importance of fairgoing, especially harness racing at the track, to Meigs County residents.[2]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Owen, Lorrie K., ed. Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places. Vol. 2. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999, 986.
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