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Wake Wednesday - Premium List of the NC State Fair 1899

Are thoughts of cool breezes and crisp fall air calling to you? Got a taste for fair food yet?

While it is way too warm for that now, you can still get in the mood.  Stay inside and have a browse this fun old bit of ephemera from the turn of the century, the  Premium List of the NC State Fair 1899 - 39th Annual State Fair.
There are some beautiful advertising  graphics inside, as well as great historical context for Wake County and the rest of the state at the time. You can page through this volume much like browsing a physical book.
Don't miss the ads for Briggs Hardware, Raleigh Cotton Mills, St Mary's School, Southern Railway, and a host of others less well known that we surely need to keep in our memory. Fun!


These old premium book are a great source of historical context for you ancestors life way back when. 

Browse all from the history of the NC State Fair (1853-1859, 1869 - now). Visit NCDigital and search for "State Fair Ephemera". You will find a large collection and a fascinating time travel adventure.


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    1. Diane L RichardOctober 3, 2024 at 12:14 PM

      Sometimes, for the early years of the NC State Fair -- winners were listed in the newspaper; this included many women! These are priceless and so much fun. Here is one of these, https://digital.ncdcr.gov/Documents/Detail/award-of-premiums-at-the-fifth-annual-fair-of-the-north-carolina-state-agricultural-society/544233

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    2. Cyndi DealOctober 23, 2024 at 12:13 PM

      That is a new fun way to explore ancestors. I can't even imagine what some of those things were that they were awarded prizes for. Down the rabbithole I go. I love Digital NC!

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