[St. Catharines Journal, 3 July 1856]
INQUEST-On Saturday, the 14th inst., an inquest was held in view of the body of Mr. Jacob Barrick, an elderly farmer long resident in the Township of Wainfleet.
Mr. Barrick was a man of considerable property and some money, though in his habits rather addicted to intemperance.
It appears that on Friday he was seen coming down the tow-path of the Welland Canal Feeder, in company with a Frenchman named Juan Baptiste Kaugey, both of whom had apparently been drinking freely and were quite noisy.
On Saturday the body was found floating in the water, near the Half-Way House, west of Marshville, and, upon being taken out, Mr. Bald was called upon to hold an Inquest as before mentioned. The investigation continued throughout Saturday and Monday, but the precise terms of the verdict we have not learned. From bruises upon Barrick’s face and head, and other circumstances, suspicion attached upon the Frenchman that foul play had been used, which, as we are informed, led to his arrest and commitment to the gaol at Merrittville.-Welland Herald
{Compiled by “S”}
Earliest records of the fair was 1856, however, some say it goes back further. The first fair was in Riceville, located on top of the hill west of Fonthill. Other sites were the Pelham Township Hall in Fenwick, now Maple St. Also on Church St in Fenwick, then the railway forced it to move to East Church St and Foss Road on the south.
After the coming of the railroad in 1890, special excursions came from Hamilton, Welland and Buffalo to the fair.
The fair consisted of twenty- five acres of land. It was under the Pelham Township Agricultural Society. It was an exciting event for the children and people of the area
In 1905 the admission for adults was 20 cents, for children 10 cents.
Attractions were the merry-go-round, ferris wheel, livestock exhibit, drills by Pelham schools, cattle and poultry exhibits, a medicine man and magicians.
There were horse barns, dining hall, exibit buildings, horse racing was a popular attraction. When the fair was first established the merry-go-round and ferris wheel had to be operated by live horsepower. The Tom Bishop Wild West Show was one of the attractions at the fair.. It was the largest fair in the area.
The fair in the most part was held in late September or early October. It closed in the 1930s. For three years in a row it rained and the loss of receipts made it impossible to carry on. The buildings were sold and the land returned to farming.
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