University Park in Raleigh in Wake County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
N.C. State Fair, 1873-1925 / State Exposition of 1884 / Camp Polk, 1918
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 1, 2023
1. N.C. State Fair, 1873-1925 / State Exposition of 1884 / Camp Polk, 1918 Marker
The area across Hillsborough Street from this site, today combing commercial and residential use, has a varied history with particular significance to the development of North Carolina State University. Extending from Brooks Avenue to Horne Street, that tract was from 1873 to 1925 the second site of the North Carolina State Fair. In October 1884 the fairgrounds hosted the State Exposition which promoted agriculture and mechanic arts, thereby boosting the State's industrial growth. Exposition president William S. Primrose served as first chairman of the trustees of the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (present-day N.C. State University), founded in 1887. The site in 1918 was part of Camp Polk, a World War I tank training facility.
Erected 1984 by North Carolina Division of Archives and History. (Marker Number H-34.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Parks & Recreational Areas • War, World I. In addition, it is included in the North Carolina Division of Archives and History series list. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1884.
Location. 35° 47.267′ N, 78° 40.129′ W. Marker is in Raleigh, North Carolina, in Wake County. It is in University
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. N.C. Colored State Fair (within shouting distance of this marker); Memorial Belltower (approx. 0.3 miles away); North Carolina State University at Raleigh (approx. 0.3 miles away); Sitdowns (approx. 0.6 miles away); Camp Bryan Grimes (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Graves-Fields House (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Reverend Plummer T. Hall House (approx. 0.7 miles away); George Thomas Morris and Snoopy (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Raleigh.
Also see . . .
1. State Fair History. Timeline of the annual event since it first started with a four-day fair by the State Agricultural Society in 1853. (N.C. State Fair) (Submitted on September 22, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. The History of the State Fair. In 1852 agricultural journal editor Dr. John F. Tompkins decided to try to improve agriculture in North Carolina. He organized a Raleigh meeting of the state’s leading advocates of agricultural reform. At the meeting, they reestablished the North Carolina State Agricultural Society, which had first formed in 1818 but later faltered. The group decided
Photographed By Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 1, 2023
2. N.C. State Fair, 1873-1925 / State Exposition of 1884 / Camp Polk, 1918 Marker
3. North Carolina Exposition of 1884. The North Carolina Exposition of 1884, promoting the agricultural and mechanical arts, was an important step in the progress of the state's industrial growth. (Michael Hill, Encyclopedia of North Carolina via NCPedia, 2006) (Submitted on September 22, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
4. Illustrations of the North Carolina State Exposition, 1884. Collection of 91 images, including photographs, of the event. (North Carolina Digital Collections) (Submitted on September 22, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
5. Camp Polk: Tanks Come to Raleigh. During the summer of 1918, large numbers of Americans first saw combat in Europe during World War I. Back in the United States, the U.S. army established military training camps to prepare troops for battle. Raleigh leaders wanted a camp, and on August 1 the city’s Chamber of Commerce traveled to Washington, DC, to secure a tank training facility that became known as Camp Polk (named after Revolutionary War hero William Polk). (Todd Kosmerick, N.C. State
via North Carolina Digital Collections (Public Domain), 1904
3. N.C. State Fairgrounds
The site of Floral Hall (right) is now occupied by West Raleigh Presbyterian Church.
Photographed By Balduin von Herff via, 1884
4. State Exposition of 1884
The exposition was held Oct. 1-28, 1884, which a week designated for traditional state fair activities.
Agromeck via N.C. State University Libraries, Special Collections Research Center (Public Domain), 1919
5. View of Camp Polk
The view of the WWI tank training camp from the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering, as published in the student yearbook.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 15, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 22, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 67 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 22, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
