HCHS Program Explores History of Fairgrounds and Speedway
Photo from the Hunterdon County Historical Society Collections
The Flemington Fairgrounds and Speedway evoke memories of summer nights filled with the sounds of music and roaring engines, along with the unmistakable smells of cotton candy and hot dogs. Though the fairgrounds and speedway are long gone, their stories live on.
Whether you remember the excitement firsthand or are curious about what you missed, you can revisit this special chapter of local history at the Hunterdon County Historical Society’s annual fall meeting.
Join HCHS on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 2 p.m. at the Flemington Presbyterian Church, where historian Brian Armstrong will bring the fairgrounds and speedway racing back to life through words and pictures. The program is free, and everyone is welcome. No reservations are required, and refreshments will be served.
For Armstrong, researching the fairgrounds and speedway for his book Lost Museums was a labor of love. “I have many fond memories of going to the Flemington Fair each year. I loved the rides, the midway, and the animals,” Armstrong said. “I attended the races about three or four times which was fun. Even in Stanton we heard the roar of the races each Saturday night, and I fed racing fans after the races when they came to eat at Weiner King.”
When Armstrong wrote Lost Museums, he wanted to include a few New Jersey museums and, while doing so, discovered that the amazing National Old Timer’s Hall of Fame Museum was at Flemington Fairgrounds speedway for many years. “This museum was great example of a closed museum where the artifacts ended up in other museums and collections. Some of the items are in the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing in York Springs Pa,” Armstrong noted. Armstrong will focus one segment of his program on the years when Paul R. Kuhl Sr. served as president and promoter of the Flemington Speedway. Kuhl also was president of the Flemington Agricultural Fair and the Flemington Fair and Carnival Association. In 1991, he was elected to the National Auto Racing Hall of Fame. He died in 2014.
“When I wrote the book, I reached out to key stakeholders for each of the closed museums to get their story and made sure they reviewed the text before I published the book to ensure accuracy,” Armstrong said.
“Unfortunately, Paul Kuhl had passed, and I had to use extensive newspaper clippings to recreate the Paul Kuhl years. He was a great promoter and told most of his story in media interviews which helped me capture the history of the museum and speedway accurately.”
Originally created as a fairgrounds horse track, the speedway featured automobile racing from 1915, until closing in 2002. The 5/8-dirt track was once recognized as the fastest in the United States. The first Flemington Fair was held by the county Agricultural Society on October 28, 1840, and the fairgrounds were established in 1856, according to author Kenneth V. Myers’ book The Flemington Fair Story.
In addition to Lost Museums, Armstrong is the author of numerous books including The Franklin Park Tragedy: A Forgotten Story of Racial Injustice in New Jersey, which won the 2020 New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance Author Award; Hunter’s Rest Birthday; Lost Museums; The Franklin Park Axe Murders; and A History Lover’s Guide to Bar Harbor Maine. Armstrong was president of the South River Historical & Preservation Society for 10 years and is current president of the League of Historical Societies of New Jersey, and is director for the Raritan Millstone Heritage Association. He also is a Hunterdon County native. Armstrong received the Frazee Award from the South River Historical & Preservation Society of South River, NJ in 2014 for “outstanding service.”
Note: The accompanying undated photo shows the fairgrounds and the speedway. It’s from the collections of the Hunterdon County Historical Society.
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This event was made possible with funds from the Hunterdon County Cultural and Heritage Commission, a partner of the New Jersey Historical Commission.
The Hiram Deats Memorial Library is accessible to all. If you need any assistance for our programs, please contact us at 908-782-1091 a minimum of two days prior to the event.