The Hamilton County Fairgrounds
The Hamilton County Fairground, although it has been claimed by Carthage on the south and called the "Carthage Fair" for many years, should be noted in a history of Hartwell. The present grounds between Vine and Wayne were acquired by the Ohio Agricultural Society in 1847. The Fair actually originated the year before and was held on nearby farm owned by Ezekiel Hutchinson.
See many of the historical sites, buildings and homes with our Hartwell History Google Map! You can download the Hartwell History Google Map to your computer or smart phone with this link. Once you've opened it in Google Maps, you can find it again by clicking the 3 lines in the upper left corner near the search bar, then select "Your Places" and click to "Maps".
Hartwellians have been fortunate to be able to walk to the Fair, which is held for 5 straight days every August. It's an old-fashioned event with blue-ribbon contests of all kinds, a demolition derby, animal demonstrations and funnel cakes. There are a few older buildings still standing on this 68-acre site, which also includes a race track and bleachers. Horses are boarded there year-round.
Up until the 1980s there was an old farm house near the Wayne entrance gate, but in its place now are a few mobile homes. Since the Fairground is owned by Hamilton county, and not the city, the horses and the mobile homes are permitted there.
At the Vine Street entrance, there is a special "sculpture" on display; it is made entirely of twisted beams that were found in the wreckage of the tornado that came through the Valley in 1969. The beams were supports from a highway billboard sign and are exactly as the artist found them.
More history on the Hamilton County Fairgrounds is here.