Hemlock Fairground
Why it's listed
Hemlock Fairground is a 35.6-acre district on level bottomland at the north end of a valley, about a mile from Hemlock Lake in Livingston County, New York. Its centerpiece is a half-mile oval racetrack laid out in 1870, beside a nine-bay timber-frame grandstand of the same year that has box stalls beneath its seating. Exhibition buildings stand in a cluster to the east, including the cross-planned 4-H Building of 1877, a Domestic/Exhibit Hall of 1920 and a Grange Hall from about the 1920s. Livestock barns, food stands and other later buildings are classed as noncontributing. The fairground is listed for its link to agriculture and to entertainment and recreation. Agricultural societies used fairs to spread information about new equipment and farming methods, and harness racing was a major attraction. The site still hosts an annual fair in July, the same use it has had historically.
Significance in brief: The fairground is significant under Criterion A for its role in agriculture and in entertainment and recreation. It shows how agricultural fairs spread new farming methods and offered harness racing and other amusements from the late nineteenth century into the mid-twentieth century. It has kept its historic use and its core fair buildings.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 00000347, listed April 6, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | East Ave., Hemlock |
|---|---|
| County | Livingston County |
| Listed | April 6, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00000347 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1876-1949 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian; Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Agriculture, Entertainment/Recreation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The fairground is still used for its historic purpose, mainly the annual Hemlock Little World's Fair in July, along with horse races and other events. |
| Acreage | 35.6 |
| Coordinates | 42.79434, -77.61079 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 00000347.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5712267
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.