The Clinton County Fairgrounds Historical Society held its first meeting Tuesday night in the meeting room of the Edward Jones Community Building.
The main purpose of this group is to get historical recognition for the Wait Station, which sits in the northwest corner of the Clinton County Fairgrounds.
“The building was built circa 1901,” said Historical Society President Skip Davis. “I say that because 1901 was when the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was trying to get better bricks and stones for its speedway. These bricks were developed and built into this building.”
Davis added the Clinton County Fairgrounds goes back to 1853 which is when the first county fair was held.
“Back then, it was actually held at 600 South Main Street at the intersection of Armstrong and Main where it turns into Main Avenue,” said Davis.
Besides Davis, Andy Robertson was named Vice President of the Society. Davis added that originally he asked Sheryl Royer and Eric Payton to be board members. Davis said Royer can pull together harness racing materials and Payton has a history degree. They are looking for one more person to be on the board.
Davis said the Wait Station is the focus of the group.
“It was formerly termed the old administration building,” said Davis. “It was used as an administration building for the board. Now, we’re using the room we’re standing in at the Edward Jones Building as an offer space for the council. And that building, other than storage, is not really actively involved in activities here at the Fairgrounds.”
Davis added the Wait Station could be turned into a museum or, most likely, a library. He also said there is a lot of work to be done by researching newspaper files at the library, looking into County Archives to find out when the Wait Station was constructed, looking into photos of winning horses, work with individuals who have collections, and they’ll need someone to scan slides.
The next meeting for the group will be Tuesday, December 14, at 6:30 p.m.