Established in 1886, the State Fair of Texas has always been an annual event attended by Titus County residents. A group of Dallas businessmen chartered The Dallas State Fair & Exposition, which later evolved into the State Fair of Texas, in 1886 as a private corporation. By the time the first fair closed on November 7, 1886, it had attracted 100,000 people to watch horse races, examine purebred livestock, marvel at new inventions and enjoy entertainment ranging from concerts by the Mexican National Band to a grand war dance staged by 100 Comanche Indians.
Since its beginning, The State Fair has always had exciting rides and presented interesting exhibits. Many famous people have appeared at and also attended the State Fair. A few exhibits, among the many, displayed at the fair were demonstrations of Edison's Kinetoscope (one of the earliest forms of motion pictures) in 1894. In 1900, Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley starred in a show with 600 horses and a buffalo herd, while Booker T. Washington delivered the main address on Colored People's Day. In a day when automobiles were still a novelty, automobile racing made its State Fair debut in 1901.
The City of Dallas purchased the State Fair in 1904. Fair exhibits and attractions expanded over the years, and fair attendance exceeded one million people in 1916.
In 1934 Dallas was named host city for the 1936 Texas Centennial's central celebration, A force of 8,000 laborers worked during 1935 to prepare for the Texas Centennial by renovating and constructing a physical plant consisting of more than 50 structures, waterways, massive pylons, terraces, sculptures, and murals expressed in the art deco architectural style.
The Texas Centennial Exposition opened at Fair Park in June, 1936 with festivities including a downtown parade viewed by 150,000 spectators and a gala "Ceremony of Flags" in the Cotton Bowl. President Franklin D. Roosevelt attended the Centennial. When the Texas Centennial closed on November 30, 1936, the final attendance count was 6,353,827 visitors. The exposition's legacy includes the structures that today house the Texas Hall of State, Dallas Museum of Natural History, Dallas Aquarium, Dallas Horticulture Center, D. A. R. Museum and the Science Place and Planetarium.
Due to World War II, the Texas State Fair was not held from 1942 to 1945. In 1946 the first post-war State Fair featured the Ice Capades, Rural Youth Day, and Elsie the Borden Cow.
In 1951, R. L. Thornton, prominent Dallas businessman, purchased a large Santa Claus figure from the Kerens Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Thornton commissioned Dallas artist Jack Bridges to convert the Santa Claus into a giant cowboy, and in 1952 Big Tex, the State Fair's huge icon, made his first appearance.
Fair Park was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1986. The Sesquicentennial edition of the State Fair of Texas attracted more than 3.9 million visitors during its 31-day run.
The State Fair of Texas continues its annual run and is one of the state's major attractions. You can obtain more information about the State Fair of Texas' history and their current operating schedules from their website at:
Titus County residents have always attended the State Fair, and Titus County residents and organizations regularly participated in the State Fair. In a shrewd marketing move, the State Fair of Texas declared certain days during the fair's run in honor of particular counties to encourage increased attendance from those counties.
Before a good highway system was developed and automobiles, busses, and other forms of motorized transportation became common, passenger trains provided most long-distance and mass transit. The Cotton Belt, which served Mt. Pleasant, created special trains to transport people to and from Dallas for the State Fair. In 1928, a special train offering a round-trip fare of $2.50 carried almost 1,000 people from Titus County to The State Fair of Texas for Titus County Day. The twelve coach train left Mt. Pleasant at 5:30 a.m. and arrived in Dallas about four hours later, stopping in Winfield and then in Commerce so Titus County college students could participate in the excursion.
Following are several early news articles related to the State Fair of Texas that were published in the Mt. Pleasant Daily Times. We posted them to provide a glimpse of the State Fair's importance to Titus County residents.
Mt. Pleasant Daily Times, Mt. Pleasant, Texas
Saturday, October 24, 1925
Titus County Folks Winning Fair Premiums
Titus county people are winning a number of premiums at the various fairs over the country this year, which brings to mind that Mt. Pleasant should not only have a fair of its own next year, but that the Chamber of Commerce should make a part of its business to see that a creditable exhibit should be prepared for the State Fair at Dallas and at some of the other fairs in Northeast Texas.
Mrs. S. D. Murphree, home demonstration agent, returned home Friday with the club girls who won trips to the Dallas Fair from this county, and she reports that some ten or twelve ribbons were won by the girls who attended, and that Miss Mary Lou Harbour won first prize among club entrants for barred rock chickens.
R. E. Huckeba, who had a pen of chickens at the Paris and Pittsburg Fairs, won two first prizes and a fourth and fifth prize at Paris and three prizes at Pittsburg.
A Titus county exhibit, made up from two or three community bits, won third place at the Pittsburg Fair.
Mt. Pleasant Daily Times, Mt. Pleasant, Texas
Tuesday, September 28, 1926
Titus Day At Dallas Fair
COUNTY AGENT TRYING TO GET GOOD CROWD FOR THIS OCCASION
Wednesday, October 13th, has been designated by the officials of the Dallas Fair as Titus County Day in connection with a similar designation for other East Texas counties.
County Agent Campbell is endeavoring to get together a good crowd from Titus County to attend the Fair on that date in order to advertise this county as much as possible. The round trip fare for the occasion will be only $3.00, which is a very small amount considering the benefit to be derived by those who attend, and there should be many people of the county making the trip.
Mr. Campbell asks all who can go to the Fair on this occasion to call at his office between now and the 10th of October to secure their tickets and secure the low rate. They will also be available at the Farm Bureau office.
Mt. Pleasant Daily Times, Mt. Pleasant, Texas
Wednesday, October 6, 1926
Catch the Special Train
October 20th has been designated as Titus County day at the State Fair. The Fair Association is looking forward to the interest of the delegations coming from various East Texas counties, and I am sure that all who attend will appreciate the trip. We leave here (Mt. Pleasant) early enough on that morning to arrive in Dallas by 9:00 a.m. We will remain there for the one day and return that night. Price $3.00 round trip.
I am sorry of the mistake made in the first news article to the time of going, but we were unfortunate in securing our train on that day, and for this reason it was necessary to make the change. Arrangements are being made to sell tickets also at Cookville and Winfield, with it understood that tickets are to be sold at the Farm Bureau office.
I wish to suggest that you get your ticket now, because we guarantee 300 and after this 300 tickets have been sold we hope to be able through the cooperation of the railroad company to have another coach attached if necessary, but we do not want any one to stand up on this trip.
Get yours now and help the other fellow to get his.
W. P. CAMPBELL - County Agent.
Mt. Pleasant Daily Times, Mt. Pleasant, Texas
Saturday, October 13, 1928
SPECIAL TRAIN IS WELL FILLED
TITUS COUNTY PEOPLE GO BY THE HUNDREDS SATURDAY TO DALLAS FAIR
Titus County again demonstrated its ability to put over the things that it goes for when the special train was run Saturday to Dallas for local people to attend the State Fair.
Almost a thousand people took advantage of the convenient schedule arranged by the Cotton Belt for them to attend the fair in a body and advertise Titus County, at the same time saving money on the trip and going with home people. The proposition was well advertised and the unusually low price of $2.50 for the round trip was an inducement to hundreds of people who otherwise would not have gone at all this year. A feature of the trip was that there were so many school children who took advantage of the occasion, and who were presented with tickets by the Fair Association entitling them to free admission into the Fair Park.
The train, consisting of twelve coaches, left Mt. Pleasant at 5:30 o'clock, arriving in Dallas about four hours later. Stops were made at Winfield and at Commerce, Titus County college students at the latter place making a request that they be allowed to participate in the excursion. Badges were presented to all who made the trip, the words printed on them being "Titus County" in large letters, with "Mt. Pleasant", in smaller type underneath.
The success of the special train this year indicates that this will become and annual event, and through co-operation of people from every section of the county will place the trip and its educational features within easy reach of all who wish to go.
Mt. Pleasant Times Review, Mt. Pleasant, Texas
Monday, October 14, 1929
CLUB BOYS TO STATE FAIR
TITUS COUNTY IS WELL REPRESENTED IN CLUB WORK THIS YEAR
Nine of the 4-H club boys of Titus County left Monday afternoon with County Agent L. C. Jinks to spend three days at the State Fair at Dallas. While there the boys will be the guests of the State Fair and will be quartered in the dormitory that was constructed for the annual encampment of club boys and girls of Texas. They are not only to be furnished board and room by that body but will attend some of the biggest shows in Dallas as guests of the Fair. Educational tours through all the exhibits of the fair will be made along with several other attractive features.
Those making the trip are: Robert Lee Beasley, Chapel Hill; Jessa Lee Brown, Lone Star; Travis Bowers, Ripley; Edward Haley, Green Hill; Lowell Sikes, Winfield; Otto Allen, Farmers Academy; Edwin Jones, Maple Springs; Buster McCollum, Marshall Springs, and Rex Campbell, Monticello. These trips were awarded on all around club work for the whole year. The carrying out of the production program as outlined, the yield, leadership, the keeping of records, and the general attitude towards the program throughout the entire year all entered into the selection of the above named boys.
Part of the expenses of the trip for the club boys was paid by the Mt. Pleasant Chamber of Commerce.
Mt. Pleasant Times Review, Mt. Pleasant, Texas
Wednesday, October 16, 1929
FREE TICKETS FOR CHILDREN
STUDENTS WILL BE ADMITTED WITHOUT COST TO STATE FAIR SATURDAY
D. C. Crews, chairman of the committee in charge of the special train from Titus County to the State Fair at Dallas, which leaves here at five o'clock Saturday morning, has received a supply of admission tickets which will allow all school children making the trip free entrance to the Fair grounds on their arrival in Dallas.
This should be an added incentive to the school boys and girls of Titus County to make this trip, which already bids fair to receive the biggest support that any similar occasion has received for many years. Those in charge of the special say that they expect a much larger crowd than went last year, because only a few Mt. Pleasant people have visited the Fair so far, most of them waiting to go on the special train, which has a very convenient schedule and a price that la very attractive. It will allow those making the trip to spend practically all of the day in Dallas, with an opportunity to take in the shows at night.
Mt. Pleasant Times Review, Mt. Pleasant, Texas
Wednesday, October 16, 1929
GOOD SHOWING AT STATE FAIR
TITUS COUNTY EXHIBIT WINS $150, TAKING FIFTEENTH PLACE
The Titus County exhibit at the State Fair of Texas at Dallas won a premium of $150, according to an article in the Dallas News Wednesday morning. This County won fifteenth place, oat of a total of about forty entrants. This is a very fine showing, considering the fact that this is the first time that an exhibit has been placed at the State Fair by Titus County. The exhibit was assembled by Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Dalton, who were assisted in the arrangement of the display by County Agent Jinks and others. Only 47.78 points separated Titus County from the first place winner, Hemphill County.
The fact that such a good showing was made on the first display should be incentive to arrange a better one next year, and go higher in the percentage.
Five counties were classed, as follows: Hemphill, Eastland, Garza, Harrison, and Lamar. Thus it will be seen that not only did West Texas win first in the class 1 division, but it also had three counties in this grouping. These five counties receive a cash award of $200 each.
The ten counties listed as prize winners of $150 each in the second class were Henderson, Ellis, Anderson, Marion, Wood, Wheeler, Van Zandt, Hunt, Gregg and Titus.
Out of a possible 1,000 points, or a perfect record, Hemphill scored 936.03. Scores made by the other four counties were, Eastland 929.41, Garza 926.70, Harrison 923.80, and Lamar 919.80.
In the ten counties, in class 2, the scoring was also very close, Henderson leading with 919.35. Records of the other nine were as follows: Ellis 918.48, Anderson, 915.31, Marion 912.96, Wood 901.20, Wheeler 838.19, Van Zandt 892.10, Hunt 890.32, Gregg 888.69, Titus 888.25.
Mt. Pleasant Daily Times, Mt. Pleasant, Texas
Saturday, October 19, 1929
SPECIAL TRAIN TO STATE FAIR
BAD WEATHER CUT DOWN TICKET SALES TO SOME EXTENT THIS YEAR
The Titus County Special, which was inaugurated two years ago for the purpose of advertising Titus County at the State Fair at Dallas, again was operated Saturday in order to give the people of this section a cheaper and more convenient trip.
Showers Friday night and heavy clouds early Saturday morning had a bad effect on ticket sales because many people who intended to make the trip gave up the idea for fear of rain. However, around three hundred people boarded the train at Mt. Pleasant and quite a number were picked up at Winfield. Ex-Titus County people who are students at Commerce, sent in a request that the train stop at that place again this year, and arrangements were made to accommodate them.
Everything for the accommodation of the public was provided for this occasion, a very convenient schedule was arranged, and if it had not been for the bad weather several hundred others would have made the trip. The funeral of Loyd Coffey Saturday morning also prevented many from going.
