Cabins began to replace wagons and tents and in 1898 the oaks were planted that shade Founder's Square today.

A number of national candidates, including Ronald Reagan and John Glenn have made appearances at the fair.

Reagan's states' rights speech there during his 1980 presidential campaign has become a famous example of alleged dog-whistle racism in American politics.

Critics of Reagan have argued it was a deliberate reactionary choice to campaign there, as it was close to the site of one of the most infamous acts of racist violence during the Freedom Summer of 1964.

[2][3][4][5] Iris Kelso, a Neshoba County native and a journalist in New Orleans, often wrote about the fair in her columns and later in her television commentary.