Story #4
The Cairn of Peace
For a brief moment, Peebles was the center of the agricultural universe. Plans began as early as 1953 for the citizens of the village, the county, the state, the United States and the world to join together with Peebles to host the Fifth World's Conservation Exposition and Plowing Contests. The event was held September 17 through September 20, 1957.
Owners of seventeen farms located between Peebles and Locust Grove voluntarily offered their land to host the activities. Over twenty-five hundred acres were used for the competition and the massive agricultural fair and displays. 140 exhibitors and 80 farm machinery manufacturers were featured. One newspaper report estimated total attendance for the four day expo at 300,000 people. Masters of the farm plow came from fourteen countries to participate in the contests to determine the best in the world. It was also at this time and place that the United States National Plowing Contests were held with 27 participants from a dozen states. The National Sheep Dog Trials was an added showcase event.
The local community was quick to answer the call to provide for the needs of the visitors. Plans were put into place for feeding the crowd. Parking areas were manned by Boy Scout volunteers. Village residents joined the local farmers and provided housing for the participants and the visitors. Water lines, electricity and other infrastructure was updated to handle the needs of the people.
A special airstrip was built just east of Locust Grove to accommodate state, national and international dignitaries, participants with their tractors and plows, attendees from all over the world, and company representatives who brought in long lists of supplies.
Ohio Governor C. William O’Neill came to assist in the opening ceremonies and to welcome Ezra Taft Benson, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
To commemorate the event, a “Cairn of Peace” monument was commissioned by Earl DeVore, general chairman of the exhibition. It consisted of a replica of a 15th Century plow atop a five-feet high pedestal. It was hand-made by blacksmith Everett Haas and his son, Todd, of the Ash Ridge area in Brown County, Ohio. Under the plow and surrounding the top of its platform were fourteen bricks, representing and supplied by each country participating in the plowing contests.
After the exhibition, the complete structure was moved to a more permanent site just north of the Wickerham Inn on Route 41. The inn was used as a headquarters for the event.
Sadly, the small cairn park site was victimized by vandals in 1968. They removed the plow and a few bricks from the monument. Some time later the plow was found, returned to the village and placed in storage along with the large stone on the monument that was inscribed with details of the event, and a metal plaque with a list of the plowing match participants. The remaining bricks were incorporated into the side wall of the Peebles American Legion Hall where they remain today.
