Premium lists have been issued for every year that the fair has been held (and even for one it wasn't--1918). The word "premium," in this case, means the sum of money given for a winning fair entry. This is an excerpt from the 1860 premium list. The lists also have all sorts of other features. Click the links in the menu to the right to find out about them.
Premium lists have been issued for every year that the fair has been held (and even for one it wasn't--1918). The word "premium," in this case, means the sum of money given for a winning fair entry. This is an excerpt from the 1860 premium list. The lists also have all sorts of other features. Click the links in the menu to the right to find out about them.
Regulations for the different fair exhibit types (called departments) accompany the lists of premiums. In 1870 the regulations were only about a page and included statements about "an efficient police force" and a band. Today, each department can have several pages of regulations relating to precisely how an entry must be submitted.
Premium lists aren't just about the exhibits. The earliest lists began with names of Agricultural Society members, like this one from 1873. The Agricultural Society was in charge of the State Fair from 1853 until 1928, when it was taken over by the State. These men were prominent early North Carolinians.
Early lists also contain a lot of advertisements for equipment, fertilizers, businesses, and even cures for different diseases. You can see the rise of electricity (like this 1910 ad) and automobiles as well as information about early local businesses. After the fair was taken over by the State, there are a lot fewer advertisements in the lists. Today, companies often sponsor competitions as a form of advertisement.
As the fair added more and more attractions over the years, with a midway, car races and circus acts, the premium lists were a way to advertise the different events.
There are also references to current events in the premium lists. The Great Depression (1933), patriotic sentiments during the first World War (1918), an atlas rocket (1965) can all be seen in different lists. The speeches and letters included at the beginning of many of the lists are another place to find references to recent events. If you'd like to see the entire collection of premium lists, head to our digital collections.
