Question: The photo for this week is obviously the aftermath of a devastating fire. Do you know anything about it? What burned and when? Where was it located?
Last week’s answer: The fair in last week’s photo was the Phoenix Union Agricultural Society annual fair held at the Pendergast Driving Park on the Pendergast Farm (Oswego County Stock Farm) in West Phoenix. It was very much like the current New York State Fair only on a smaller basis. Residents displayed all of the many things that are shown at the current fair. There was horse racing, food and a variety of entertainment.
The following is a passage from the diary of late William Henry Turner III, shared by his granddaughter, Sharon Turner Cook.
“Many people came by trolley which passed the lower end of the grounds, but most of them came in the family surrey or democrat wagon and hitched their horses to a tree or rail fence, prepared to stay all day, feed for the horses and a large basket filled with all kinds of food for the family.
“The biggest event of the day was a balloon ascension, they had a large canvas balloon which they filled with hot air and when it got full, the whole thing would go up into the air. On the bottom they had a harness carrying a man and parachute and as it got up into the air four or five hundred feet the wind would carry it in the direction it was blowing some-times at a good speed.
“After it had gone a mile or more the man would pull the trip rope and cut himself loose from the balloon and come floating down with the aid of his parachute, a wonderful sight to behold. After he cast off the balloon would finally fall to the ground and it was retrieved by a crew of men, brought back and made ready for the next day’s flight. The fair was held in late August or early in September generally before the large New York State Fair which was held in Syracuse.”
Note the attire of those attending — can you imagine today’s society dressed like that?
Email your guess to [email protected] or leave a message at 315-434-8889 ext. 332 with your guess by noon Friday. If you are the first person to correctly identify an element in the photo before the deadline, your name and guess will appear in next week’s newspaper, along with another History Mystery feature. History Mystery is a joint project of the Museum at the Shacksboro Schoolhouse and the Baldwinsville Public Library.
