After two-year stays in Fairfield (1854-55), Muscatine (1856-57), and Oskaloosa (1858-59), The Seventh Iowa State Fair came to Iowa City in 1860– and the good people of Johnson County were certainly ready to host the event. 1860, of course, was a pivotal year for both Iowa and the nation. A young senator from Illinois – named Abraham Lincoln – was running for President, and in October – one month before the election – his rival Stephen A. Douglas was scheduled to speak in Iowa City. But before that big event, the first week of October 1860 was set aside for all Iowans to come to the fair.
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