FRANKLIN COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. At a meeting of the citizens of Franklin County, held at the city Hall in Columbus, on the 6th of September, 1851, it was resolved to proceed to organize a County Agricultural Society; and a constitution which had been previously prepared, was reported and adopted. It provides that the officers of the Society shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and five Managers, who together shall constitute a Board of Directors, and shall all be elected annually. That the members of the Society shall each pay one dollar a year into the treasury. That there shall be an annual County Fair, etc.

At the same time and place, the following gentlemen were elected the first board of officers:

President — Samuel Medary.

Vice President — Samuel Brush.

Treasurer — G. M. Peters.

Secretary — William Dennison, jr.

Managers — Pliny Curtis, David Taylor, Joseph O'Harra, Wm. L. Miner, and W. H. Rarey.

A committee of three from each township and ward was then appointed to obtain subscribers to the constitution and collect the dues from members.

At the next meeting a set of by-laws were adopted, and at a meeting, on the 27th of September, G. M. Peters resigned the office of Treasurer, and Robert Hume was appointed in his place; and by order of the Board, soon after, he drew from the county treasury two hundred dollars, in pursuance of a statute of the State, passed 28th of February, 1846, entitled “An act to encourage agriculture.” Soon after, in October, 1851, the first County Fair was held on the State Fair grounds near Franklinton; and in May, 1852, Mr. Hume reported the state of the finances as follows:

At the election of Directors in May, 1852, the result was as follows:

President — Samuel Brush.

Vice President — Jacob Slyh.

Treasurer — Robert Hume.

Secretary — Benjamin Blake.

Managers — M. L. Sullivant, W. H. Rarey, Wm. L. Miner, E. F. Jennings, and Lucien Buttles.

The Directors had now turned their attention to the purchase and improvement of grounds of their own, on which to hold their future Fairs; and in July, 1852, they effected a purchase of eight acres from Mr. Samuel Barr, upon which they immediately commenced their improvements. And in October of the same year, the second County Fair was held on their own ground.

About this time, the Board passed an order that any person on paying twenty dollars in advance towards the purchase and improvement of the grounds, should thereby be constituted a life member of the Society without any further assessments or charges. The following gentlemen availed themselves of the order, and thereby aided the infant society, and created themselves life members, to wit: Samuel Brush, Benjamin Blake,Robert Hume, M. L. Sullivant, Wm. H. Rarey and Lucien Buttles.

Election of Directors in the spring of 1853:

President — Samuel Brush.

Vice President — Moses Seymour.

Secretary — Benjamin Blake.

Treasurer — Robert Hume

Managers — Lucien Buttles, Joseph m. Sullivant, W. Speaks, Wm. L. Miner, and Eli F. Jennings

The Fair for the year 1853 was held on the Society grounds the last three days in September.

Election of Directors in the spring of 1854*:

President — Wm. L. Miner.

Vice President — Benjamin Blake.

Secretary — J. W. Baldwin.

Treasurer — Thomas Moodie.

Managers — Messrs. Seymour, Slyh, Sullivant, Burr, and Clark.

* At this meeting, Mr. Brush, the President, delivered an interesting address to the Society, and declined a reëlection.

The meeting then passed the following complimentary resolutions:

Resolved, That it is with profound regret, the members of the Society hear that their able and efficient President, Samuel Brush, Esq., peremptorily declines a reëlection.

Resolved, That this Society have a high appreciation of his valuable labors in their behalf, and hereby tender to him their hearty thanks for the good he has accomplished for the cause of Agreculture in Franklin County.

The annual Fair for his year was held on the 13th, 14th and 15th days of September.

Election of Directors in the spring of 1855:

President — Lucien Buttles.

Vice President — John Clark.

Secretary — Henry C. Noble.

Treasurer — Thomas Moodie.

Managers — Alex. Mooberry, J. W. Long, Charles Pontius, G. S. Innis and J. W. Parks

In June of this year, the County Commissioners appropriated two hundred and fifty dollars towards improving the cross road from the national road to the Fair grounds.

The fair this year was held on the 12th, 13th, and 14th days of September

Election of Directors in the spring of 1856:

President — John Clark.

Vice President — Alexander Mooberry.

Secretary — Gamaliel Scott.

Treasurer — Thomas Moodie.

Managers — J. C. McDaniel, D. S. Elliot, H. C. Noble, and David Taylor.

Fair this year on the 17th, 18th and 19th of September.

Election of Directors 10th of April 1857:

President — David Taylor of Truro.

Vice President — Alex. Mooberry, of Montgomery.

Sectetary — Gamaliel Scott, of Columbus.

Treasurer — Thomas Moodie, of Columbus.

Managers — J. H. Stage of Columbus, W. T. Decker of Madison, John Stimmel of Jackson, J. C. McDaniel, of Blendon, and S. S. Davis of Perry.

The annual Fair for 1857 was held on the 9th, 10th, and 11th days of September.

COLLUMBUS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. The first meeting of the citizens to form this Society, was held on the 10th of April, 1845. At this meeting, the late Bela Latham was chosen chairman, and M. B. Bateham, Secretary; and a committee was appointed to report a Constitution and By-Laws. This committee consisted of Messrs. M. V. Bateham, Joseph Sullivant, Samuel Medary, John Burr, Alex. E. Glenn, Joseph Ridgway, jr., and Joel Buttles.

The next meeting was held May 12th; the Constitution was adopted, and Bela Latham elected president; W. S. Sullivant, and Sam'l Medary, Vice Presidents; Joseph Sullivant, Recording Secretary; M. B. Bateham, Cor. Secretary; John W. Andrews, Dr. I. G. Jones,

John Burr, John A. Lazell, John Fisher, Moses Jewett, John Miller and Leander Ransom, Managers.

On the 26th of September, 1845, the first public Exhibition or Fair of the Society was held, at which there was a good display of fruits and flowers, and which was well attended by the citizens.

At the annual meeting, in March, 1846, Mr. Latham was reëlected President. The annual Fair this year was on the 3d and 4th of September, at which there was a large display of fruits and flowers, and premiums were awarded.

In 1847, Mr. Latham was again reëlected President, and the Society held their Fair on the 7th and 8th of September.

At the annual meeting in March, 1848, Dr. I. G. Jones was chosen President, in place of Mr. Latham, whose ill health prevented him from discharging the duties of the office. In this year the Society lost its most active and efficient member in the death of Mr. Latham, which took place on the 21st of April.

The Society had not yet been incorporated; but on the 13th of March, 1849, an act of incorporation was passed, which reads as follows: “That Francis Stewart, John Miller, Joseph Sullivant, I. G. Jones, Adam Sites, Lucien Buttles, Benjamin Blake, William Merion, M. B. Bateham, Samuel McClelland, Thomas Stockton, Samuel

Medary, A. H. Lazell, John Burr, Alexander E. Glenn, their associates and successors, be and they are hereby incorporated by the name and style of the Columbus Horticultural Society, for the purpose of encouraging and improving the science and practice of horticulture, and the promoting and propagation of the various species of trees, fruits, plants, and vegetables, and the introduction of new species and varieties, and for no other purpose whatever.”

In 1849, Dr. Jones was reëlected President, and was continued several years. The prevalence of the cholera in 1849 and 1850, prevented the Society from doing much more than to keep up its organization.

In 1851, the Society effected a purchase of ten acres of land from Mr. Samuel Barr, adjacent to the County Fair grounds, for the purpose of establishing a Society Garden. And in September of that year, they adopted a new Constitution, which superseded the old Constitution and By-Laws. It provides:

1st. There shal be regular life and honorary members.

2d. THat any person may become a regular member whose name is proposed at any meeting, by a vote of two-thirds of the members present, by signing the Constitution, and paying two dollars initiation fee, and one dollar annually thereafter, in advance.

3d. That any member of the Society may become a

life member by paying the sum of twenty dollars, which shall be in lieu of all assesments.

4th. The officers of the Society consist of a President, two Vice Presidents, a Treasurer, a Corresponding Secretary, a Recording Secretary; and a Council, which shall consist of the President, Treasurer, and three members, all to be elected annually.

The garden grounds have been fenced and somewhat improved, but not yet cultivated as a garden.

PRESENT OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY.

President — M. B. Bateman.

Vice Presidents — Francis Stewart and Benjamin Blake.*

Treasurer — Henry C. Noble.

Corresponding Secretary — Henry C. Noble.

Recording Secretary — Robert Hume.

* Mr. Blake died March 27, 1858.