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Southeastern Fair Association records

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.MSS1159

Scope and Content

This collection contains material that documents the creation, activities, and dissolution of the Southeastern Fair Association, later called the Atlanta Fair and Exposition Center, Inc. Records include bylaws, charter contracts, lease agreements with the City of Atlanta, meeting minutes, accounts, and other administrative documents that illustrate the structure, function, and operations of the organization. The collection also contains correspondence between various members of the board of directors, their lawyers, and the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

Dates

  • 1915-1978, undated

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted through the Kenan Research Center.

Administrative/Biographical History

The Southeastern Fair Association, which later became the Atlanta Fair and Exposition Center, Inc., was chartered on January 13, 1915, in Atlanta, Georgia. The Atlanta Chamber of Commerce sponsored the event as an expansion of the annual Boy's Corn Club show, later called the Georgia 4-H Club, into a large-scale agricultural exposition. They held the event at Lakewood Park, which opened in 1875 as the City of Atlanta's main water source and was redeveloped as a resort area in 1893. The first Southeastern Fair in 1915 was a harvest festival and cattle show, but from 1916 onward the event also included a horse racing track, suffragist demonstrations, a roller coaster, and a large agricultural and farming exhibit. Notable members of the Southeastern Fair Association include Mayor William B. Hartsfield (1890-1971), who was its president from 1962 until his death; and Ivan Allen Sr. (1876-1968) who served as the chairman of the board from 1915 to 1948 and president in 1916. The Southeastern Fair Association was dissolved in 1976.

Extent

1.25 linear ft. (three document cases, one oversize folder, and one flat file)

Language

English

System of Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically according to titles supplied by staff.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, 1989

Description Control

This collection was processed in 2018.

Title
Southeastern Fair Association records
Author
Hallie Lonial
Date
February 2019
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040