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Flora Hall is a historic building located at the Shelby County Fairgrounds in Harlan, Iowa. The cross-shaped, frame structure is the oldest building on the fairgrounds and is one of the oldest, relatively unaltered, county fair buildings in Iowa. The exhibition hall was built by the Shelby County Agricultural Society between the years of 1879 and 1882 to house exhibits that were of interest to women.

Flora Hall

Flora Hall

Floral Hall, the centerpiece of the Shelby County fairgrounds on the north-eastern edge of Harlan, is the oldest surviving structure in this 106 year old fairgrounds complex, and it is probably one of the oldest, relatively unaltered, extant county fair exhibition building in the state. Constructed sometime between 1879 and 1882 to house exhibits believed primarily to be of interest to women, this wood frame edifice, erected in the shape of a cross, has been utilized annually for a wide range of exhibits and activities that have attracted members of both sexes.

Constructed sometime between 1879 and 1882 to house exhibits believed primarily to be of interest to women, this wood frame edifice, erected in the shape of a cross. Constructed sometime between 1879 and 1882 to house exhibits believed primarily to be of interest to women, this wood frame edifice, erected in the shape of a cross, has been utilized annually for a wide range of exhibits and activities that have attracted members of both sexes., has been utilized annually for a wide range of exhibits and activities that have attracted members of both sexes.

Floral Hall is a cross-shaped building that consists of four identical 18 by 18 foot sections that intersect in an 18 foot interior space. Based on Sanborn fire maps and an 1911 photograph, it appears that Floral Hall has undergone no major structural alteration over the years. The fair board has considered demolishing Floral Hall and replacing it with a metal building, but this had been postponed due to the historic value and interest in the building by the Shelby County Historical Society. 

Ralph J. Christian, James E. Jacobsen. "Floral Hall" (PDF)National Park Service. Retrieved 2018-02-19.