100 years ago: County fair visitors to see unusual plants, new crops, bridge made of seeds

From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Sept. 23, 1913:

  • “Douglas County’s 1913 Fair opened this morning at Woodland Park with practically every stake down and every exhibit in place. Today was the big day at the Fair, too. In addition to being the opener it was designated as ‘Lawrence Day’ and the town closed up this noon and adjourned to Woodland for the remainder of the day. The weather was just a trifle crimpy this morning and there was considerable wind but toward noon it warmed up nicely and the crowd started fair-ward. The cars carried large numbers of visitors all afternoon…. The scene that greets one at the fair this year is indeed inviting. A good time feeling seems to touch one upon entering the grounds…. Every inch of exhibition space has been taken and the entries in practically every department are equal to those of other years. The carnival company did not get set up for the opening last night but this afternoon all the attractions were in operation…. These are busy times at Woodland these days, a real old time county fair is in progress, and everyone is having a big time.”
  • “Over in J. R. Blevin’s corner of the Agricultural Building is a display which is attracting unusual attention. Here is being shown a live growing pineapple bush and growing on this bush is a small pineapple. Something entirely new for the Douglas County Fair. The curiosity is the property of Henry Manwarring, a prominent Douglas County farmer. On his farm about four miles northwest of Lawrence Mr. Manwarring has a green house and it was in this that he reared the pineapple plant and coaxed it into bearing fruit so far away from its native clime. The sprout was set out by a grandson several years ago. It grew and Mr. Manwarring becoming interested took charge of the plant, moved it to his green house and nursed it into a bush. Today it is being exhibited at the fair to show the possibilities of Douglas County. In other years cotton plants, tobacco plants and specimens of other foreign plants which were grown in Douglas County were shown, but never before has a local pineapple bush been seen.”
  • “Specimens of feteria, a new Kansas crop, which appeared with the drouth this year, are also being shown by Mr. Blevins. Feteria is similar to kaffir corn, it grows similarly and looks much the same, the grains being just a little larger. Kansas is watching this crop anxiously and the display at the fair is attracting considerable attention…. Mr. Blevins is enthusiastic over this feteria. He declares that it will stand more drouth than any corp known in Kansas and would advise Kansas farmers to adopt it into their family of grain crops. Feteria only became known this year but Douglas County knows things about as soon as any other particular spot.”
  • “The new $200,000 bridge across the Kaw river at Lawrence can be seen at the fair grounds. Take a trip over to the southwest corner of the Agricultural Building, pick out the spot where the crowd is the thickest, then look straight ahead and you will see the new structure. It is the work of Williard Brown, who has turned bridge builder. All made of seeds the bridge is as realistic a model of the new structure which Douglas County will build as one could imagine. There is the Bowersock Mill on the south side, not exactly Bowersock’s but nevertheless a mill, even if it is a windmill, at that it is grinding and putting out real flour. A Santa Fe train is passing under the bridge at the south end, there is water under the bridge sparkling in the bright light. A street car is running down the track and there is a big, heavily-laden dray wagon, the fire department is answering a call from across the river and pedestrians are moving along the broad sidewalk along the edge. It is really a work of class and is drawing a large crowd to the North Lawrence booth.”