Whew! Summer is here and boy, can we see and feel it! Luckily, the Library is offering so many fun activities this summer including our reading challenge for both youth and adults, countless programs for all ages and, if available, Park Passes to Potter Park Zoo or Eaton County Parks. While the Library has always been a steadfast center of summer fun, I, as the Local History Librarian, got to thinking about how the community passed their summer in the bygone years. I dug around the Michigan Room and saw what a Charlotte summer was like over a century ago. I was not disappointed in the materials I found.
The first image I came across is a group of women and a baby in a pram who paused to enjoy some fresh air. My first thought upon looking at this picture was that those women have to be sweaty and hot. Then the longer I looked, I began to develop a story about these individuals. They could have arrived back at home after walking in town to market or went down to the river and cooled their feet in the water. While those stories are completely made up, you can tell that no matter what happened those women and baby appear happy to enjoy their summer day.
Summer is the season for many different types of community gatherings such as groundbreaking events and fairs! Such an event took place almost 140 years ago. Residents from all over Eaton County came to Charlotte to celebrate their Fourth of July in 1883. This celebration marked the laying of the 2,060-pound Berea sandstone of the new County Court House. It took two years for the courthouse to be completed and officially opened in 1885. Today it is known as the Courthouse Square Museum.
These types of celebrations would be an all-day event for families. To get to town by horse and wagon, families would be up before the sun and after spending the day catching up with friends and family, they would make the trek home hoping to get there before dark. Nowadays we still celebrate with friends and family with events such as Celebrate Charlotte and the Summer Concert Series. We have the luxury of returning home to air conditioning and not having to travel before dawn!
The biggest draw of the summer season was and still is the Eaton County Fair! The first Eaton County Fair was held in Charlotte in 1855. While, sadly, I could not find pictures from the Eaton County Fair in 1855, I did discover the official program from the Fair in 1893.
Surprisingly, not much has changed in terms of what events are at the Fair. There are exhibitions and judging along with different shows and races at the grandstand area. Below is a view of the Eaton County Fairground grandstands and the racetrack from 1921. These races could be anything from dogs and horses to automobiles. Does anyone else think that the grandstands looks the same today as it did in 1921?
You cannot go to the Fair without enjoying the food. In earlier years, many Fair goers would enjoy their lunch spread out on the grass near the racetrack on the fairgrounds. Below is a wide view of fair goers sitting down for lunch before the start of the first race. If you think about it, it was the earliest form of a “tailgate” party.
In the more recent years, the Fair is all about the 4-H exhibits and the carnival for kids. In the 1909, the big attraction was the Indian village. The Pottowatomie Indians portrayed life in an Indian village for visitors to the Eaton County Fair. As seen in the image to the right many fair goers enjoyed walking through the village. Since the 1909 Eaton County Fair, the village become a regular part of the annual Fair. It is unknown when the Indian Village was discontinued as a staple to the Fair.
Whether you are just walking around town, partaking in the numerous events in the community or attending the Eaton County Fair, the Library is always happy to see you! Stop in to sign up for a Summer Reading challenge, check out some movies or just to say a friendly hello.
Written by Adult Services and Local History Librarian, Sara Horn.
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