Mid-South Fair
Established in 1856 by the Shelby County Agricultural Society, the Mid-South Fair in 2006 celebrated its 150th anniversary. Memphis, known as the cotton capital of the south, depended on agriculture for much of the nineteenth century. The fair offered farmers and the general public a venue to learn of new products and to compete with others from the region. Through the Civil War, Yellow Fever epidemics, and two World Wars, the fair has prevailed to become one of the largest in the nation. The fair has been a part of so many lives, so many memories of rides and rodeos, of cotton candy and pronto pups, and of that first big drop on the roller coaster. The Mid-South Fair: 150 Years brings back those memories through words and photographs, taking the reader back to a time when excitement was only a ride away on an old wooden roller coaster.
The first Ferris wheel was designed by George W. Ferris, a bridge-builder from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Ferris began his career in the railroad industry and then pursued an interest in bridge building. He built the Ferris wheel for the 1893 World's Fair, held in Chicago to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus's landing in America. The Chicago Fair's organizers wanted something that would rival the Eiffel Tower. Gustave Eiffel had built the tower for the Paris World's Fair of 1889.
In 1905 Memphis photographer Oscar Bloomberg captured the last days of horse racing in Memphis. Crowds gathered, some standing on chairs for a better view of the finish, to see such events as the Tennessee Derby, an annual spring event. Montgomery Park, originally known as the New Memphis Jockey Club, was first established as a horse racing facility in the 1850s.
The Pippin roller coaster was built at the fairgrounds in 1923 by Henry C. Baker of the National Amusement Device Company and designed by John A. Miller, who created over 120 roller coasters in his lifetime. The original 1923 coaster was longer than the present day ride, stretching east across Early Maxwell Boulevard to the Swine Barn. The Pippin coaster was destroyed in 1928 by strong winds and completely rebuilt the same year by the Hummer Coaster Company of New York.
TIn 1930 photographer C. H. Poland captured this aerial shot of the Shelby County Building and fairgrounds. Behind the Shelby County Building is the Cattle Barn, which was constructed in 1922 and burned in the late 1950s, being replaced with the present day Swine Barn.
The Swine Barn was constructed in 1930 and was located where the Cattle Barn is today. An additional livestock building was constructed just south of the Swine Barn and held cattle.
In 1927 the fairgrounds received flood victims when the Mississippi River overflowed its banks. Citizens from around the area converged on the fairgrounds for shelter and food. The Mississippi River broke out of its levee system in 145 places and flooded 27,000 square miles.
Color television was featured at the Mid-South Fair and Livestock Show in September 1954. Fair president Lee McCourt, right, demonstrates the new process to Miss Barbara Gurley, who appears on WMCT, The Commercial Appeal television station.
Wild Bill Elliot, pictured above in 1952, was a crowd favorite during the rodeo. Elliot began in silent movies in the late 1920’s and over the years starred in hundreds of westerns. 1953 marked the last year the rodeo was held outdoors. A new large arena building was completed the next year and would hold the rodeo until the 12,000 seat Mid-South Coliseum was built in 1962.
Shown here in 1939, members of the Future Farmers of America lead a parade down Main Street to promote the upcoming fair. The FFA was established in Kansas City, MO in 1928 to help develop students’ potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
Frog girl, lobster boy, and alligator boy all vie for the audience’s attention on the 1952 Mid-South Fair midway. The giant and colorful banners gave fairgoers a glimpse of what they might or might not see inside. During the 1920s sideshows were routinely raided for their overexposure of skin, which only helped to draw more crowds the next day..
Not only human oddities were popular, but also giant and exotic animals lured many an unsuspected fairgoer. Seen here in 1952, for a mere 14 cents you could see the giant bird-eating tarantula from the Amazon and hear stories of a vampire bat that killed 5 men.
The Rockin’ Rythms, purple ribbon winners of the 1956 Youth Talent contest, take time to have their picture taken after the competition. The young band from Bartlett, Tennessee consisted of L-R, Gene Acre, Pat Miller, and Jimmy Dye. The band auditioned for Sam Phillips of Sun Records soon after winning the talent contest.
Johnny Cash, shown here with his wife June Carter Cash, was the musical headliner at the 1968 Mid-South Fair. Johnny and June were married on March 1st of that year, having met 13 years earlier while both were touring. Cash first recorded in Memphis for Sam Phillips in 1955 at Sun Studio and was often seen at the fairgrounds while living in Memphis. One of Cash’s last public concerts was in the Coliseum during the 2001 Mid-South Fair.
Roy Rogers, shown here performing in the Arena Building in 1959, appeared at the Mid-South Fair several times. Rogers starred in over 100 films, and his television show ran on CBS from 1951 until 1964. He once received 78,852 fan letters in a single month.
1917 was a time of war for the United States, so the Army was looking for a few good men. A recruiting station was set up at the fair, passing out pamphlets on the Army. During WWII, the U.S. Second Army was stationed on the fairgrounds, using the present day Horticulture Building as their headquarters. Barracks were built where the Perry Pipkin Building is today.
A fair manager’s dream, clear skies and people as far as you can see. This scene in 1939 looks down the tree-lined midway at the Mid-South Fair. By 1939 attendance was once again on the rise after many years of poor numbers during the depression. 1939 also marked the first year the fair operated with a new manager since 1910. Henry Beaudin replaced Frank Fuller who had served as manager for 28 years. Fuller, through his foresight and planning, is given credit as the architect of the modern Mid-South Fair.