Catalog of Maine State Fair, Portland, 1856
Description
The cover of the catalog for the Maine State Fair that was held in Portland in 1856. In 1855, the Maine State Agricultural Society began rotating an annual state fair in communities across the state. The 1856 fair featured "Animals on the Ground, or the Out-Door Department" and "Articles in the halls, or the In-Door Department." The latter included everything from butter, cheese, pumpkins and other crops to patent medicines and arts and crafts.