Dunn-+First+NC+State+Fair

First NC State Fair {1853} This chilly October afternoon, my parents told me that we would be traveling to the first State fair in Raleigh. I’m not exactly sure what the fair is or what I will be doing there but I like to travel and get away from my chores from a few days. Pa says that we will not be back for several days, so I am getting very excited about it. He told me that I could bring Jacob along, my pot belly pig. I’ve had Jacob for three years now, and since I don’t have any other siblings to play with, Jacob is the only one I have. My parents and I don’t spend a lot of time together except for working the fields. We eat dinner together but usually I spend my time with Jacob or my friend Linda from town. This morning I arose to the sound of our horses. It was still dark outside but my parents were rushing me to arise and to help load up some belongings to take with us to the Fair. Pa was a tobacco farmer and he had learned that this Fair was going to give him advice on farming ways so that he will be able to take care of our family and raise more crops. Ma and Pa didn’t know how to read or write but he sure knew how to harvest the land to keep us fed. Pa wanted to go to this fair to learn about farming. It sounded boring to me, but I knew he should go if we wanted to have food on the table and good crops. He worked really hard from sun up to sun down so I really hope that he can learn something so he won’t have to work as hard. Pa said that if he learned better farming skills, we would be better off. If only they had some kind of machine that could do the work… oh well, Pa is a strong brave man and his hands are worn and torn but I love them. I love my Pa. It had been almost a whole day when as I sat in the back of the buggy watching the big wheels just kept on turning. We still had not quite arrived to the Fair yet. Ma said that it would be at least another half a day before we got there. I was pretty sleepy but Jacob was uneasy. I didn’t really mind riding in the buggy but I always wondered whether our horses were tired. It seems like their legs would just get exhausted and fall right off. Ma says that they are used to it and that we should be thankful for these plank roads. They were wooden beams lengthwise on the sides of the roads with wooden planks placed crosswise. These were covered with dirt and sand for families like us to travel on. Not too long ago, all they had were mud tracks but had to be repaired every two years and sometimes decayed. By the time we came to the fair next year, if we can, we may be able to use the railroads if we traveled through Goldsboro next time.

After what seemed like a year, I saw mulberry trees everywhere! It was the first thing I saw once when we got to Raleigh. They were so beautiful! I could tell we were finally near the fairgrounds and were at the east side of downtown and I was getting so excited. I think Jacob knew we were getting there too because he started fidgeting around in my lap. Pa said that this place was known as the “Morus Multicaulis Field” because of all the mulberry trees in this area. There were so many horse and buggies there, and I never expected to see so many people here. I wondered where they all traveled from. I wondered if they had traveled as long as we did to get here and whether they were farmers too. There had to be at least 15 or 20 acres worth of land here for this fair. That meant there was probably going to be a lot going on this week. I was so ready. After half a day at the fair today, I learned how popular the fair was for farmers. There were special seminars to educate farmers, like Pa. He told me today that he was going to go to the seminar called “The Bright Tobacco of North Carolina”. I think this was a meeting where he and other farmers in North Carolina would get together and share ideas by talking different farming techniques.

When Pa came back from there, I told him how me and Ma had tasted some apple jam from the stand about ¼ of a mile away. Pa seemed really excited and he was in a good mood. I didn’t want to leave the fair. I was so happy we were going to spend the next several days here. Pa deserved a break. Ma did too. It was really nice to see them not working and not worn out for once. They were enjoying themselves, and I did today too. I think I like this whole Fair thing. I hope we can see the horses tomorrow when we walk to the other side of the fair. I saw one earlier today and it scared Jacob so bad, he wet all over me. I was so excited when I saw some of the farming machinery. When I get older, I want to get Pa one of those big shiny machines so he doesn’t have to work as hard. Sometimes I think he likes getting his hands dirty and providing for us. It makes me and Mama so proud. ** What Students Will Learn: ** Students will be able to understand and recognize how technology has changed since 1853 in southern North Carolina (Raleigh). Students will be able to contrast how transportation today compares with transportation in 1850’s in Raleigh, NC. Students will be able to research information about farming, tobacco crops, and the way of living in Raleigh in the 1850’s. Students will be able to recognize the uses of farm journals and almanacs and know their significance for the south. ** How I Will Facilitate Students Learning: ** Students will do research about the history of North Carolina in the 1850’s. [Ex: [] What was their journey like? Hint: Section about Plank Roads} Activity: Students will get split into four groups and will select one of the following topics to relate to the first North Carolina State Fair and will be responsible for sharing information with this class: Transportation Farming Tools Crop Prices Gender Roles

** How To Determine What Students Have Learned: ** Students will present their topic to the class. Next, they will have a writing prompt: A lot has changed since the Fair first started in 1853. What do you think the Fair will be like in 100 years from now?