The Famous Fairs of Bourbon

by Thais Carrillo | Apr 1, 2026 | Bourbon, Events, Pastimes

Feature Image. Undated birds-eye-view of fair.

The Town of Bourbon 1872 fair was the first one established in the county. It took place in a schoolhouse 1½ miles east of Bourbon. The fair was discontinued for a few years and started again in 1891, as an 1892 ticket listed it as the Second Annual Fair. Some days the crowds were as large as 10,000 to 14,000 visitors. They usually took place in late September or early October, and often school would be dismissed so students could attend.

The Purpose of the Bourbon Fair

Among the Bourbon fair’s goals was to improve livestock breeding, to promote the area’s agricultural, mechanical and industrial interests and to provide good clean entertainment. They erected several permanent buildings: a grandstand with a half mile track, an art hall, stables and fenced-in animal pens.

Race track looking north.

Each year a brochure was printed showing everything that was going to be happening at the fair. The catalog also provided plenty of opportunities for local businesses to advertise. As a sample of the fair offerings, the 1933 catalog listed various cattle, sheep, swine, poultry, turkeys, waterfowl, and pet stock (eagle with cage, pea fowl, guineas, pigeons, rabbits, cage of squirrels, largest cat, ferret, pair of silver foxes). Also to be shown in all categories imaginable were grains and seeds, vegetables and roots, apples, pears, peaches, plums, persimmons, chestnuts, quinces and grapes, cut flowers, shrubs and flowers. The table luxuries category included canned fruits and vegetables, jellies, breads, cakes, cookies, fudge and candy.

The art hall contained “ladies fancy work” of coverlets, quilts, spreads, pillows, knitted goods -including socks, mittens and clothing – and every kind of rug. Embroidery and needlework included dresser scarves and handkerchiefs, pillowcases and tablecloths. All sorts of collections were featured, including coins, stamps, curiosities of any kind, shells, marbles, etc. Fine arts covered clay molding, landscapes, drawings in oil, pen, pencil, crayon and charcoal, baskets and “miscellaneous article not otherwise entered.”

And we cannot forget the most exciting activity, the Speed Program – horse races in trot or pace, pulling contests and mule races. Any mule winning the race two years in a row was barred. Straw and stalls were free for all horses entering the race. Horse racing was the big attraction and took place throughout the years to the last fair.

Horses on racetrack.

Other activities through the years included a firemen’s tournament, a band contest, bicycle races, trick bicycle riders and ball games. There were large pumpkin contests. In 1927 a “calling cows” contest was planned. The champion caller was to be rewarded with a handsome old-fashioned cow bell. In 1941 they added an amateur night.

The Bremen Enquirer: October 23, 1891

“About sixteen or seventeen years ago Bourbon began to have fairs…. The excellence of these fairs gave them a great reputation, far and wide, and everybody who attended spoke in the most flattering terms of them. One of the strong features of these fairs was the splendid exhibit of stock of all kinds, and to them is due much of the advancement in stock breeding in and around Bourbon which for many years could boast of being far in advance of any other section of country in this part of the state….

“Last Friday found us at the Bourbon fair…. We were agreeably astonished at the very excellent buildings they have erected, and which were just finished during the fair. The sound of the saw and hammer was mingled with the cry of the fakir and the music of the merry-go-round and the hum of human voices.

“It will be impossible in the limits of this article to describe in detail the many attractive features of Bourbon’s fair. The exhibits in stock were fine and quite large…and the parade was something that would make the heart of the fellows who have been raising ‘scrub’ stock chock full of envy at the progressive farmers who believe in keeping up with the march of progress.

“The agricultural department was well filled with the choicest products of a rich soil and a propitious season and elicited words of praise from all who viewed it.

“The poultry department contained many fine specimens of thoroughbred fowls that would delight the eyes of any poultry fancier on earth.

“The implement department contained the regulation wares in the way of necessary and labor-saving machinery that is necessary for the systematic tickling of the productive soil.

“The floral and art hall contained a wonderful collection of fine fabrics wrought into articles of usefulness and beauty by the nimble fingers of the ladies. Stepping into this art hall is like stepping out of this old prosaic world into a fairy land, an elysian bower of beauty and whose radiance dazzles the eye and beauty charms the soul. So different from what we meet in our everyday life that one forgets that he is on this mundane sphere but thinks rather that he has been transported to a new world where all the beauty, loveliness and grandeur of nature and art has been gathered, combined and blended together in a manner to mystify our temporal senses and induce the belief that by some means we have caught a brief glimpse of Paradise.

“Without question the most remarkable thing about the entire grounds is the fine race track that the association has succeeded in building. It is constructed on the most approved plan and the very fact that it is only a few weeks old as yet and has had such splendid time made upon it shows conclusively that it is destined to be one of the best in the state. . ..”

The Bremen Enquirer: A Few Years Later

“Bourbon has a very fine race track and up to the Bremen fair this year the best time ever made on a track in Marshall County was made over the Bourbon track, 2:21 by Billy the Kid (presumably a horse, not the outlaw). This time was cut down to 2:19¼ at the Bremen fair last week and now the managers of the Bourbon fair say that the time will be again lowered over the Bourbon track next week, therefore you may look for some very fast going. Do not miss it. You may regret it if you do.”

Jim Bates Sr. on horse.

The Bremen Enquirer: October 12, 1894

“A correspondent from Bourbon to Wednesday’s Chicago Times says a prize of $200 is to be awarded at the Bourbon fair on Thursday to the man who drinks the most whiskey. It is a foregone conclusion that the $200 will remain in Bourbon.” (Perhaps the residents felt they should live up to the name of the town.)

The Argos Reflector: October 11, 1900

“The crowd on Wednesday was . . . larger than expected by the management. But on Thursday the vast throngs of people simply overwhelmed the officers in charge. The number of single tickets sold on this day was 6,400. This does not include children, holders of season tickets, exhibitors, caretakers of exhibits, race horses, nor stock holders. The treasurer of the association informed our reporter that he could not be far wrong in saying there were more than 10,000 people in the grounds on Thursday. On Friday the attendance was not so large but was larger than expected.

The Great Huckleberry Emporium of Marshall County

by Thais Carrillo | Mar 12, 2026 | Uncategorized

Feature Image. The Huckleberry Queen in the National Police Gazette.

Save the date for our third annual Casino Night Fundraiser! This year’s theme is Boots & Bowties. Join us June 19 at the REES Theatre as we journey back in time to the infamous Huckleberry Marsh, an 1800s Marshall County boom town, where the atmosphere was a dynamic mix of tension and camaraderie and the daring gathered to misbehave. This article, published on July 28, 1870 in the Republican Newspaper, gives some insight into life and humor of this era.

Tyner City Correspondence #1, by Co Smo Brania

Since writing for public journals is one of one of the necessities of this progressive age, your correspondent could not well keep silent any longer. Every city, village, and community has a history, and this history should be real and carefully studied. But we commence our history of the sayings and doings of the good people of Tyner City and vicinity, we must first inform you that we are all having a big sweat in the “neck-of-the woods”. From certain unmistakable indications, we are warranted in saying that for a few days past, the weather has been decidedly warm. Old Sol riding high over us poor mortals in the power of his calorific glory and in order to try our morals as well as the tenacity of our mortal bodies, has been, and at this moment is, pouring upon us his scorching rays without any regard whatever to our feelings or comfort.

The fact is Mr. Editor, these dog days are most doggedly hot. But thanks to the changing seasons, they are slowly passing by, and soon the majestic monarch will leave us to enjoy the comforts and luxuries of autumnal breezes.

And now for a few facts and items in regard to Tyner City, and first, so far as I can learn, the health of the city is moderate-a few cases of abdominal derangements giving the patients more uneasiness in the gastric regions, than the doctors have respecting their convalesence.

The saloons are, financially, in a healthy condition-doing well at least for themselves. And yet, Mr. Editor, you must not infer that we all get drunk. No sir, we possess the faculty of knowing just how much of the “critter” our “innards” demand to keep our breadbaskets (stomachs) in a healthy condition and our consciences in good running order. We seldom get out of our perpendicularity, though now and then the hell without and the fire within incet somewhere about the knee joints, where there action conjointly upon the “Synonial fluid” produces a decided weakness of the motor muscles: thence running up the vertical column, terminate in the cerebrum and celebellum (brain) causing what is generally known as the sun stroke by proxy.

Such was the condition of a poor fellow we passed lying on the grass, along the R.R. a few days ago. He had a powerful stroke, and a tolerable sized bottle by his side. He muttered something incoherently and I passed on hoping the stroke would not prove fatal.

The trade in Huckleberries still continues quite actively. I presume most of your readers are aware that Tyner City is the great Huckleberry Emporium of Marshall County, About 3 miles northwest is located what is known as the “Big Marsh”. In this marsh the berries grow and every day hundreds of men, women and children are wading through it gathering the berries. In the center of the marsh is an acre or two of solid ground, more elevated than the rest, on which is a nice grove. This is called the “Stamping ground”. Here the eager multitude comes every evening or morning with their berries and find a real ready market. A kind of eating and drinking saloon is kept here for the accommodation of the “ pickers”.

Curiosity prompted your correspondent to visit this locality. When I arrived at the borders of the marsh, a scion of humanity met me, lugging a basket of berries in each hand. “Anymore left in there?” I asked, “Thunder yes!” replied the sprig, “wagons loads”. “Any snakes in there”, “Snakes the d——“, replied the young hopeful. “Snakes don’t migrate to this locality, but continued he, see here stranger, you’ll find hornets by the millions”.

We hope to see you at our fundraiser and that this article has primed you for picking a Western outfit! Tickets available online here. Stay tuned on our Facebook for more information and when you can purchase tickets in person. Learn more about our historical towns at the Marshall County Museum from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm, Tuesday through Saturday.

Organizing Fire

by Thais Carrillo | Feb 5, 2026 | Plymouth

Innovation and necessity have been, and still are, the driving force of progress in almost any field; perhaps none so desperately as the need for fire safety. As communities in Marshall County grew in population, naturally, business enterprises took hold, and buildings sprang up to accommodate them. People used the most plentiful and available material – wood – and built their buildings quickly.

In Plymouth, the original plat map from the 1830s designated lots for a business district. It began with Lot #1 (where the REES Theatre is located) and moved north up to Lot #21 and then crossed Michigan Street and started back south with Lot #22 and ran through Lot #42. Those lots were side-by-side, as were the buildings constructed on them. It is no surprise, then, that when one wooden structure went up in flames, fire spread quickly, sometimes aided by the wind. More than once, the whole business district was wiped out.

Welcoming Progress

At the time, there was little by way of fire protection. Business owners simply accepted that a fire, once out of control, would destroy their buildings and typically their contents as well. A devastating fire in 1857 that consumed most of the downtown businesses convinced Plymouth town leaders of the need for a volunteer organization of firefighters. In February 1958, the Protection Hook and Ladder Company was formed with a total membership of 57. A bucket brigade was organized as a part of the group. A two-story frame building was built on the Adams Street riverbank.

Two other fire companies were organized in December 1865, the Adriatic Engine Company and the Torrent Hose Company. The City Hall and Engine Building on Center Street was completed in 1875 and served the department for 95 years. The first engine was purchased sometime between 1863 and 1868 and required five or six men to a side, pumping up and down to produce a stream of water. The problem of a dependable source of water was solved when a series of brick-lined cisterns were constructed. The sprinkling wagon, used to keep dust down in the streets, was charged with keeping the cisterns full. The city waterworks, built in 1888, finally replaced the cisterns.

Changing Standards

As equipment was added, so were horses drawn vehicles. The station floor was designed with grooves in it to provide traction for the horses as they raced to answer the alarm. Equipment was sparse. The Wide Awake Hose Company #2 paid $160 in 1883 for a hose cart. In 1912 the city purchased its first motorized vehicle, a hose and chemical truck for $5,000. In addition, city officials added a Gamewell Fire Alarm System with 20 alarm boxes placed around the area.

At about this same time, the City of Plymouth began to pass ordinances meant to set standards for buildings to improve fire safety. Downtown businesses had to be built of brick with fire walls in between, and ceilings were to be metal or some other fireproof material. In 1896, an ordinance passed that any stove and pipe put up for use in any building must be set on a suitable platform covered with zinc or other metal, or on brick. Also, where the stove pipe entered a chimney, it must be securely fastened and the spaces around it “securely stopped with some non-combustible material.” The ordinance went on with specifications about ventilators, cleaning, riveted pipe joints and other details.

The ordinance even stated that ashes could not be collected in a wooden bucket or stored in a wooden barrel within 20 feet of any building. The fine for violation of the ordinance could cost up to $10. The city marshal or chief engineer was placed in charge of inspections with the power to enforce the ordinances. If a building owner failed to address an issue, the City would have it done and bill the owner, adding a $10 fine to the cost.

Upgrades and Preservation

Center Street looking North in Plymouth, Indiana.

Innovations continued to make the fire department more efficient and more professional for a growing city. In the 1950s, several retired businessmen and volunteer firefighters began taking turns driving the trucks, sleeping in a 2nd floor room across the alley from the fire station. In 1970, the department moved to the current building. Throughout the 1960s and ‘70s, the roster of full-time firefighters grew, and the department added a pumper with an 80-foot snorkel at a cost of $72,000. At that time, six pieces of equipment were manned by six full-time personnel and 20 volunteers.

Currently, the City of Plymouth is looking for ideas on how to best use the old fire station (and once city hall) on the corner of Washington and Center streets. If you have ideas for its preservation and continued use, pick up a Request for Proposal form in the city clerk’s office and submit your ideas.

The Marshall County Museum and Research Library’s normal hours are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Tuesday – Saturday. Stop in and see us!

Indiana Statehood

by Thais Carrillo | Dec 11, 2025 | General History

On December 11, 1816, Indiana became the 19th state to join the Union. The journey to statehood was long with several hurdles along the way. In honor of Indiana’s 209th birthday, we retell the story of our state. Today, we are known for our demonym “Hoosier,” corn, the Indy 500, our sports teams and more. Our history, however, spans thousands of years, starting with Paleo-Indians who roamed the Americas, including present-day Indiana, around 8000 BC following the end of the Ice Age.

Prehistoric Era

Paleo-Indians were nomadic hunter-gatherers who used stone tools and hunted large game animals (you can learn about the Ice Age in our Prehistoric Animals book, available now in our store). There is evidence of more permanent habitation around 5000 BC with earthen mounds that were used for habitats, ceremonies and temples. The Hopewell People around 1000 BC grew various crops, created pottery and engaged in trade. Between 1000 and 1450 AD, there was a Mississippian settlement near Evansville, Indiana on the Ohio River. They created complex mounds and earthworks that aligned with celestial events with incredible precision. You can visit this archaeological site today.

European Exploration

In the 17th century, French explorers reached present-day South Bend and traded with Native Americans for highly desired fur skins. French and French Canadians soon established trading posts, and some tried to control Native trade routes. When the British arrived, they also wanted control of the fur trade. The Natives sided with the French in these tensions and eventually went to war against the British. When the British won the French and Indian War in 1763, all French lands east of the Mississippi River and northwest of the colonies were ceded. The Crown proclaimed the land west of the Appalachians as “Indian Territory” and did not allow colonists to settle there, angering many people.

During the American Revolution, Congress passed a “Resolution on Public Lands” and allowed settlements west of the Appalachians with the intent to create new states. The United States gained its independence in 1783 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. In 1787, present-day Indiana became part of the “Northwest Territory.” The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 gave this territory a government and a process to create states if they met certain stipulations. To apply for statehood, you had to have sixty thousand people or more, prohibit slavery and have a bill of rights, amongst other things. This land would eventually become Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois.

Expanding Settlements

In 1800, Congress divided the land again into the Northwest Territory, which would become Ohio three years later, and the rest was the Indiana Territory. The territories would be divided and changed many times as new states formed. The Indiana Territory was governed by William Henry Harrison, and its capital was Vincennes. In August 1804, Harrison called for an election to see if voters wanted a state government. By December, Harrison proclaimed that the Indiana Territory would have a General Assembly, moving it one step closer to statehood.

By 1809, the borders of our state were outlined with the formation of the Michigan and Illinois Territories. Ohio was still the only state that had formed from the original Northwest Territory, however. Becoming a state was controversial. Some people wanted to continue slavery, and some did not want the increased taxes and costs that came with statehood. It also meant leaders would be far away in Washington, making it difficult to communicate with them. Statehood slowly chugged along, and fighting between settlers and Natives continued.

Road to Statehood

In 1811, the Indiana General Assembly voted 4-3 to petition Congress for statehood. Congress denied their petition until the state’s population reached 35,000. Efforts were abandoned by the territory due to a lack of money and the beginning of the War of 1812. During this time, the territory’s capital was moved to Corydon because it was more central and less likely to be attacked by the Natives after the Battle of Tippecanoe.

The General Assembly petitioned for statehood yet again in 1815. With 63,000 people, we were above the minimum population. The only thing left was to form a constitution, which President Madison allowed by signing the Enabling Act in May 1816. The constitutional convention was led by Jonathon Jennings and continued through August, when Jennings himself was elected as the first governor of Indiana. While writing it, there were heated debates. Ultimately, the constitution did not allow for women or people of color to vote. It prohibited slavery within Indiana. It was also the first state to start a state-funded school system, which is now Indiana University. That November, we held our first General Assembly under the 1816 Constitution. Finally, on December 11, 1816, President Madison admitted Indiana into the Union as the 19th state!

For those curious, Indianapolis became our capital in 1825 after it was chosen and built in 1821 for its central location. Visit the Museum from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm, Tuesday through Saturday to learn about early Marshall County. The Museum is located at 123 N. Michigan St., Plymouth. Call us at 574-936-2306.

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