Big Klan Rally at Fair Grounds (1924)

As the New York Times reported, a large rally was held in the borough in 1924. We were unable to find additional detail of the event beyond this short article. KKK membership peaked around this year with millions of members. Large meetings like this were common and Pennsylvania was one of the most active klan states.

.I have no knowledge or understanding of the political structure of Nazareth in the 1920's. But I have to ponder if permission from the borough government would have been needed to hold such a large gathering and what other support the borough gave.

Depending on which map you look at (e.g. from what year) the fair grounds are located in different places. Older maps show the fair grounds south of Prospect St., between Main and Broad Streets. However, I believe this rally was held further south, near the Speedway*.

If you have any additional information about this or can pinpoint more accurately where the gathering was held please leave a comment of e-mail us.

*Thanks to loyal Weird Nazareth reader Randall for clarifying the difference between the park and the fair grounds.

Note: the ferris wheel photo above is not actually from the Nazareth rally. However, it is representative of the types of events that were held during the klan's heyday.