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Permanent Home

Permanent Home

In the fall of 1855, following the second Fair, President Clagett declared, "The prosperity of the Society will be greatly promoted by the permanent location of the place of holding the exhibition . . . the Society must be permanently located in some central position and permanent arrangements made for its accommodation."

In the years to come the same idea was voiced on many occasions and by supporters courageous enough to put the future of the Fair above other considerations. Finally, in 1879, the Fair moved to Des Moines and remained there, although it took six years to persuade the Legislature to appropriate the money to buy a site. In the meantime, according to historian George Mills, the Fair took place on the west side of Des Moines. Now a residential site, it was then a city park named "Brown's Park," located between 38th Street on the east, 42nd Street on the west, Center Street on the north and Grand Avenue on the south.

Thornton Homestead

Photo from 1942, the east side of the home

Photo from 2008, the east side of the home

The Thornton homestead that was purchased to become the permanent location of the Iowa State Fair is now known as Grandfather’s Barn. Over the years, the barn has been carefully renovated and maintained to ensure its structural and historical integrity and is open for Fairgoers to tour.

The house, which was always a private residence and not open to the public, underwent extensive renovations since the 1950s to fit the changing family needs of the residents. These modifications included relocation of exterior walls, removal of the top story, replacement of original siding and windows, as well as many undocumented interior modernizations. After these changes, the home exhibited less than 30% of its original character.

The Iowa State Fairgrounds as a whole was listed to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The application mentioned the condition of the homestead, stating: “The barn remains on its original site with a high degree of physical integrity. The farmhouse also remains on its original site but has been modified so as to remove all integrity.”

In November, 2011, upon learning the house was not restorable, the Iowa State Fair Board voted to remove it from the Fairgrounds.

The Legislature appropriated $50,000 for the purchase of a location in 1884, on condition that the city of Des Moines raise an equal sum for site improvements. The new grounds on the east side of Des Moines, stretching between University and Dean Avenues from East 30th to East 36th streets, were dedicated on September 7, 1886, with addresses by Gov. Larrabee and other notables. A historian of the times wrote, "There is doubtless no more beautiful site for the Fair in the U.S. Situated about two miles east of the state capitol, it rises from the plain in a beautiful and sightly eminence from which the country for miles to the west, northwest and southwest stretches out before the view." Iowa was the second state in the Northwest to acquire a permanent home for its Fair. Several waited until the next decade.

In the 1880s the lengthening of the Fair beyond a week necessitated a special Sunday program. A sermon by a pulpit celebrity with a special musical program was the solution. The Fair was hit hard by a cycle of falling prices that culminated in the Panic of 1893. A combination of poor crops, bad weather and hard times ruined the Fair in 1894 and only specific guarantees from the city of Des Moines made it possible to open the gates the following fall.