Editor’s Note: This story is in response to a reader-submitted question through Open Source, a platform where readers can submit questions to the staff.
MOUNT VERNON — Were the Ku Klux Klan ever in Knox County?
Allegedly, the notorious group was part of the county’s history, but the details reach back more than 100 years ago.
It starts with Lake Hiawatha Park, now known as the Knox County Fairgrounds.
The land where the fairgrounds rest has changed hands several times in the last century, due to financial hardships.
The KKK’s involvement can be traced through several articles written through the years, containing stories from , Mount Vernon News and the Looking Glass, along with information from Jim Gibson of the Knox County Historical Society.
The park started to decline in notoriety in 1902, after celebrating several years of success.
According to the Mount Vernon News, the park was considered a top resort and entertainment center, tourists traveled to Mount Vernon by railroad from all over Ohio to visit the 50-acre park. Local agents booked special travel rates for tourists, which included made-to-order trolley pick up at the Mount Vernon depot.
According to local news accounts, in 1913 the park was leased to Howard C. Gates. Then in 1918 the new owner John R. Tarbell sold the park to the Agricultural Society. The society then sold the park in 1924 to the Hiawatha Park Association, which was alleged to be a front for the KKK. The society did not know they were selling it to the KKK.
It was believed the KKK burned crosses at the park and held parades, according to Fred Lorey’s History of Knox County.
The agricultural society retained the rights to operate the fair there during the summer, according to news reports. After the Hiawatha Park Association suffered foreclosure, the Knox County Commissioners bought the property in 1929 for $9,000.
