A new local history from the United States examines the annual agricultural fairs of the Suffolk County Agricultural Society in Riverhead, New York, and the farm economy of eastern Long Island that supported them. Palmetto Publishing has released Farming, Community, and the Legacy of The Suffolk County Agricultural Society’s Fairs, which covers the society’s annual exhibitions from 1818 through 1941.
The fairs in Riverhead#
The Suffolk County Agricultural Society was founded in 1818 and held its first cattle show in Smithtown. For seventy-six years, its annual exhibition took place in Riverhead, where growers competed for premiums in pumpkins, potatoes, cauliflower, cattle and poultry.
The grounds also hosted balloon ascents over the grandstand, early aviators, and semi-professional baseball games that drew crowds who bet on the outcome. Jockeys complained that the track was too narrow. President Theodore Roosevelt rode onto the grounds on horseback to address the gathering.
Chronology and the wider story#
The book records the fairs year by year from 1865 to 1941, then covers the attempted revivals that followed. The fair buildings were auctioned in 1945, and a school was later built on the site.
A second thread runs alongside the chronology. It examines how land once considered waste was shown to be fertile, how the railroad carried cauliflower to the city and politicians to the midway, and how potatoes, sod, oysters and later vineyards reshaped the North Fork. The book also tests several long-standing local legends against the historical record.
The research draws on newspaper accounts, premium lists, treasurers’ reports and the holdings of the Riverhead Town Historian’s office. The narrative covers the post-Civil War years, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, the Long Island Express Hurricane of 1938 and the approach of the Second World War.
The book is aimed at genealogists, local historians, students and general readers researching Long Island families, farms, businesses and landmarks. It is intended to sit alongside county histories and historical society journals. Its publication coincides with renewed public attention to farmland preservation and the North Fork wine economy.
The authors#
Dr. Paul J. Carr began the project in 2020, when he entered the Riverhead Town Historian’s office expecting to catalogue documents. Georgette Lane Case, the town historian, mentioned that she had long hoped to write a pamphlet on the fairs. Carr later said:
“I walked into the Riverhead Town Historian’s office in 2020 expecting to catalogue documents, and Georgette mentioned she had always hoped to write a pamphlet about the fairs. The research outgrew a pamphlet almost immediately. No full account existed, and it seemed wrong to leave it that way.”
Carr’s interest in history developed over many years. He has read widely on the subject, pursued graduate studies in it, taught social studies, worked as an archivist at the Long Island Rail Road Museum and volunteered at the Riverhead Historian’s office. He describes the project as a celebration of, and a dedication to, the East End’s farming ancestors. The book combines treasurers’ reports and premium lists with accounts of balloon ascents, diving horses and the occasional runaway sulky.
Case has served as Historian for the Town of Riverhead, New York, since 2001. She works to preserve and promote the town’s heritage and acts as a research resource for genealogists, historians, students and the public on local families, businesses, landmarks and community history.
Book details and availability#
- Title: Farming, Community, and the Legacy of The Suffolk County Agricultural Society’s Fairs
- Authors: Dr. Paul J. Carr with Georgette Lane Case, Riverhead Town Historian
- Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
- Publication date: 11/03/2026
- ISBN-13: 9798318840555, 9798318840562, 9798318840579
- Purchase: Available online from Amazon and Barnes & Noble
- Interviews: Dr. Paul J. Carr and Georgette Lane Case, Riverhead Town Historian
