N.C. Colored State Fair
Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
N.C. Colored State Fair. Operated 1879-1930 by N.C. Industrial Assoc. to accommodate the state's black citizens. Was held, 1891-1925, fifty yds. N.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
From 1879 to 1930 the North Carolina Industrial Association ran the Colored State Fair to serve the state's Black citizens, who were excluded from full participation elsewhere. Held on grounds just north of here between 1891 and 1925, it showcased Black farming, industry, and achievement in the segregated New South. It was a rare public stage of Black pride and enterprise in the Jim Crow era.
Why it matters
Under segregation, Black communities built parallel institutions of their own, and this fair stands as a monument to Black self-organization and accomplishment in a hostile age.
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Themes & tags
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