1931 Titus County Fair -
Disaster strikes the fifth Titus County Fair
The 1931 Titus County Fair opened with great expectations and ended in disaster. It was the worst year in the Fair's history.
The Fair opened at 1 p.m. Tuesday, September 29, 1931 to expectations of the largest attendance ever. The building was filled with all kinds of displays to offer visitors an excellent exhibition of farm products, a fine display of cattle, hogs and poultry, canned goods, textiles, curios and other interesting things.
The Mt. Pleasant Daily Times described the following exhibits:
The Home Demonstration clubs had a display of their featured work including materials for the pantry, garment making, fancy sewing and other. A large section of the display was dedicated to showing wearing apparel made entirely from various kinds of sacks to give an idea what could be done with things normally thrown away.
The Winfield High School primary department had a unique and instructive health display, and the students planned to present a program each evening.
Julian R. Mason, who taught manual training at Cass County's Bivens School, displayed black walnut furniture consisting of a bedstead, dresser, table, foot stools, etc., that he designed and made himself which were comparable to the finest furniture sold in the big cities.
Many beautiful articles were shown in the textile department that excited admiration because of their beauty in workmanship.
Many curios and antiques attract the attention of all interested in the unusual.
Various kinds of tempting canned foods were shown in the cookery exhibit.
The State Department of Health had a large exhibit showing methods of preventing diseases that were sometimes prevalent in this section.
Rev. Loyd Harper had a wonderful Indian relics exhibit which he was years in collecting from thirty-five States, with quite a few relics found in: Titus County. He displayed over a thousand items that Indians used in their daily life when they roamed the United States.
Texas A. & M. College had two demonstrations appropriate for this county relating to permanent pastures and profitable hog raising for meat for the home.
The F. F. A. boys had an unusually good exhibit of their activities, in which various articles which they grew on their farms were being shown.
Local Boy Scouts troops had an exhibit of their activities containing excellent collections of various kinds including knot tying, Indian relics, wood and leather carving, insect displays, etc.
Joaquin Delgado had a display of two very unique miniature trains which he built out of boxes and cans.
Miss Marguerite Kay had a display of pictures that she painted herself.
Six community exhibits and six individual farm exhibits contained some wonderful specimens of articles grown on this county's farms. The general agricultural section also showed many fine articles of home grown products.
Only a few of the entrants in the cattle show had been brought in by noon, but many more were expected. The poultry and hog displays also had not been completed.
The Royal Gray shows furnished a varied assortment of amusements with several kinds of rides, a number of shows, and various concessions. A rodeo, with home talent of both animals and riders, was to be one of the features of the Fair during the entire week.
Early Wednesday morning, September 30, 1931, disaster struck when the main exhibit building burned to the ground, reducing the building and almost all of the exhibits to ashes. The building was ready to fall in when the fire truck arrived at the fair grounds, so nothing could be done to save the structure and everything was a complete loss.
All agricultural exhibits were completely destroyed, and eleven fine Jersey cattle burned to death in the shed adjoining the building. Some were among the county's finest breeding stock. Among those who lost animals were: N. B. Spearmont, J. M. Copeland, Southwestern Gas & Electric Co., Thomas Caldwell and W. M. Davis. Fortunately, only a few of the cattle exhibits had been brought to the Fair Tuesday, which doubtless saved a number of fine animals.
Priceless and irreplaceable curios probably represented the heaviest loss, since many were heirlooms that had been in the same families for over a century, and no amount of money could replace them.
Several commercial exhibits were destroyed. Southwestern Gas & Electric Company, who had an elaborate booth showing the value of rural electrification and another featuring Westinghouse electric refrigerators, probably suffered the largest loss. Ewell McClinton lost three fine radios, a phonograph and several rugs with which he used in the booth for his radio shop.
Several Mt. Pleasant people who loaned articles for civic bodies operating concessions lost numerous things of value.
The poultry exhibition was in a tent some distance away from the building, and escaped injury.
The exhibit building was insured for $1,250 (about $14,500 in 2006 dollars), and a few of the cattle were also insured. It was impossible to estimate the fire's actual damage, but the biggest loss was the effect on the people's morale regarding future fairs.
The Fair Association had employed Joe Long as night watchman to guard against fire, but he evidently was not on the job or the blaze would have been detected before it gained so much headway. Long, said to have given several different accounts about his actions at the time of the fire, was jailed shortly before noon Wednesday awaiting an investigation conducted by County Attorney Perkins. Later articles do no say what happened to him or give the fire's origin.
The Royal Gray Shows and the home talent rodeo decided to continue to operate until Saturday night.
The Titus County Fair directors held a meeting Wednesday afternoon to decide on continuing the exposition in the future, and decided that although the fire caused an irreparable loss, efforts would be made to have a bigger and better fair the next year.
Although the gates were open only one afternoon and night, a great deal more interest was shown over the previous year, and prospects were fine for a large increase in receipts. If not for the fire, the fair would have been able to clear enough money to make a substantial payment on the indebtedness.
The fair directors believed that the people want a permanent fair, and were willing to co-operate for its continuance. An exhibitors meeting was called for Friday afternoon, October 2, when the situation would be fully explained to them and a definite decision made.
About fifty people attended the meeting. A report of the Fair Association's financial condition was read showing the amount of money that was owed, and it was explained that this included all expenses incident to advertising and getting the fair started. The fire had deprived the Association of all chances of revenue.
Practically all exhibitors agreed to accept their losses and pledged to co-operate in every way possible toward having a better fair next year. Thomas Caldwell made a motion to continue the fair, seconded by A. L. Hood, and the motion passed almost unanimously.
Fair Association officials said they would begin planning for the next year's fair at once and would try to arrange for financial assistance to protect the investment already made. At its regular meeting of Monday, October 6, the Chamber of Commerce went on record endorsing continuing the Titus County Fair, and pledged its future support.
