The Fair was not always held in Columbus. The first Fair was held in Cincinnati, and then it moved to cities throughout the state, including Columbus (1851, 1855, 1864, 1865), Cleveland (1852, 1856, 1862, 1863), Cincinnati again in 1857, Dayton (1853, 1860, 1861, 1866, 1867), Sandusky (1858), Zanesville (1859), Springfield (1870, 1871), Toledo (1868, 1869), and Mansfield (1872, 1873). Columbus became the permanent home of the Fair in 1874 and the current fairgrounds were completed in 1886.
Rides have entertained Fair goers for over 100 years.
The fairgrounds was once home to the small cabin in which President Ulysses S. Grant was born. The cabin was returned to its original location in Point Pleasant in 1936.
The All Ohio Marching Band was once the All Ohio Boys Marching Band. Girls did not join the band until the 1970s.
Not all features of the Fair stay with us forever. The Ohio gate entrance pictured here was put up in 1966 and taken down on January 31, 2002.
Do you remember Smokey the Bear? He debuted at the Fair in 1944 and stood 14.5 feet tall.
Most governors visit the Fair to meet and greet voters, but four term Ohio Governor James Rhodes was always known to be one of the Fair’s biggest fans.
1976 marked the U.S. Bicentennial and record breaking crowds at the Fair.
Do you remember Shivo the Clown? Shivo, also known as Virgil Shivers, was at the Fair from the 1970s until 1993. “”
To see more photographs of the Ohio State Fair check out the Ohio Memory digital library.
