SAGINAW, MI -- When the Saginaw County Fair moved from Saginaw to Chesaning in 2002, it left some of its storied history behind.

Saginaw Valley Historic Preservation Society President Thomas Mudd is trying to save a piece of that history, an 83-year-old gate at the intersection of East Genesee Avenue and Webber Street.

"If you were to go to the fairgrounds today, you'd see a for sale sign on it," Mudd told Saginaw County Commissioners during the board's meeting Tuesday. "No way should this gate be part of a private development. This gate belongs to the people of Saginaw County. It's a remembrance of a really remarkable fair that we had and still have in this county."

Commissioners voted to pass a resolution in support of Mudd's effort. Mudd said he also received support from the Saginaw County Fair Board in June.

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Mudd said the Saginaw County Fair, which began in 1866, was at one time one of the most popular in the nation.

"The golden years of the Saginaw County Fair were in the 40s and 50s, when almost a quarter of a million people attended the Saginaw County Fair," he said. "It was the biggest county fair east of the Mississippi."

The gate, which served as the main entrance to the fairgrounds, was erected in 1929.

Mudd said the gate was designed and by prominent local architects Clarence B. Merrill and Carl E. Macomber, who also designed Saginaw's original city hall and an addition to the Castle Museum.

"They were very influential architects," he said.

Mudd recently filed an application for the site to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

He said the only other gate in Michigan on the National Register is the Hurlbut Memorial Gate in Detroit.

Mudd said he would like to create the memorial park on a small section of the 54-acre former fairground property, centered around the gate. He envisions a full restoration of the gate itself, lights to illuminate it, a historic marker, landscaping and benches.

To pay for it, Mudd said he is confident he could secure grant funding for the project.

"I don't think this is an expensive project," he said. "That gate is in really good condition. It was a beautiful structure and it could be made beautiful again."

Mudd said the next big hurdle to developing the park is acquiring the land, which is currently owned by the Saginaw Housing Commission.

"Sometimes something like this can be a real spark for neighborhood renewal," he said. "It would be really good for the neighborhood."

The Saginaw County Fair, which ran July 31 to August 4 this year, has been held at 11350 Peet Road in Chesaning since the move in 2002.