Charleston, South Carolina | |
---|---|
Overview | |
BIE-class | Universal expositon exposition |
Name | South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition |
Building(s) | Cotton Palace |
Area | 250 acres (100 hectares) |
Visitors | 674,086 |
Participant(s) | |
Countries | 4 |
Location | |
Country | United States |
City | Charleston, South Carolina |
Timeline | |
Opening | December 1, 1902 |
Closure | June 20, 1902 |
Specialized expositions |
The South Carolina Inter-State and West Indian Exposition, commonly called the Charleston Exposition or the West Indian Exposition, was a multi-county fair and regional trade exposition held in Charleston, South Carolina from December 1, 1901 to June 20, 1902. [1] [2] [3] [4]
To overcome weakening trade with Latin America and the Caribbean and seeing the benefits of fairs like the Cotton States and International Exposition held in Atlanta, Georgia in 1895, a railroad executive, J. H. Averill, advocated holding an exposition in Charleston in the News and Courier. J. C. Hemphill, the editor of the News and Courier, and Frederick W. Wagener, a German immigrant, and local businessman, were two early supporters of hosting a world's fair in Charleston. [1] [4]
In 1900, the Charleston Exposition Company was formed and began soliciting funds. There was support from the business community and the South Carolina General Assembly allocated $50,000, but the Charleston aristocracy felt that the fair was unseemly self-promotion. The Federal government, which had normally contributed funds, did not offer early support. There were no official exhibits from abroad. [2] [3] [4]
Wagener, who was president of the exposition company, suggested that 250 acres (100 ha) of his property on the Ashley River be used for the fair. The company hired a New York architect, Bradford L. Gilbert, who had been supervising architect for the Cotton States and International Exposition. Gilbert chose Spanish Renaissance style with the buildings painted creamy off-white. This led to it being called the "Ivory City."
The Exposition faced many challenges. The weather was not good, some exhibits were late in opening, and there was a shortage of funds. [1] [2] [3] President Theodore Roosevelt delayed his visit from February to April. The attendance was disappointing. Only 674,086 people came to the exposition. [4] [5] The cost of the exposition was $1,250,000, while the receipts were $313,000. [5]
The fair and its grounds were divided into two areas: Nature and Art. [6] The focus of the exposition was the Cotton Palace, a 320-foot (98 m) long building with a 75-foot (23 m) tall dome. The other major buildings were the Palace of Commerce and the Palace of Agriculture. [5] The Woman's Building was in Wagener's Lowndes Grove house. The other major buildings were: Administration, Art, Auditorium, Fisheries, Machinery, Mines and Forestry, Negro, Transportation, and Women. [7]
Twenty different states participated in the exposition. State buildings were erected by Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New York, and Pennsylvania. [4] Pennsylvania featured the Liberty Bell in its exhibit. [4] The cities of Cincinnati and Philadelphia also had buildings. [4] Special structures were devoted to the exhibits of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guatemala. [5]
The grounds were adorned with statuary, among them six original historical groups, situated in the Court of Palaces. Statuary included "The Aztec" by Louis A. Gudebrod, "The Negro" by Charles A. Lopez, and "The Huguenot" by Elsie Ward. [5]
The midway had a carnival with thrill rides, a 400-foot (122 m) long painting of the Battle of Manassas, and an Eskimo village. There was a Turkish Parlor with imported cigars and a house of horrors. [4]
A miniature railroad of the Miniature Railway Company proved to be one of the most popular attractions and best-paying amusement features on the grounds. The routes touched all points of interest from the Sunken Gardens and the Court of Palaces to the headquarters for hoky-poky. [8]
As with similar expositions, there were souvenirs for sale which included commemorative medals, pins, and other trinkets. [1] [9]
After the exposition, Charleston built Hampton Park on the eastern portion of the grounds that included the Exposition's formal court. Although it was moved and rebuilt, the bandstand in the park remains. [10] In 1919, South Carolina obtained the western portion. This was used for the new campus of The Citadel. [2] [3] Lowndes Grove, which was the Woman's Building in the exposition, remains. [11]
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds totaling $15 million were used to finance the event. More than 60 countries and 43 of the then-45 American states maintained exhibition spaces at the fair, which was attended by nearly 19.7 million people.
The World Cotton Centennial was a World's Fair held in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States in 1884. At a time when nearly one third of all cotton produced in the United States was handled in New Orleans and the city was home to the New Orleans Cotton Exchange, the idea for the fair was first advanced by the Cotton Planters Association. The name "World Cotton Centennial" referred to the earliest-surviving record of export of a shipment of cotton from the U.S. to England in 1784.
The Pan-American Exposition was a World's Fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied 350 acres (0.55 sq mi) of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park, extending from Delaware Avenue to Elmwood Avenue and northward to Great Arrow Avenue. It is remembered today primarily for being the location of the assassination of United States President William McKinley at the Temple of Music on September 6, 1901. The exposition was illuminated at night. Thomas A. Edison, Inc. filmed it during the day and a pan of it at night.
The Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition, acronym AYP or AYPE, was a world's fair held in Seattle in 1909 publicizing the development of the Pacific Northwest. It was originally planned for 1907 to mark the 10th anniversary of the Klondike Gold Rush, but the organizers learned of the Jamestown Exposition being held that same year and rescheduled.
The Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition was an exposition held in Nashville from May 1 – October 31, 1897 in what is now Centennial Park. A year late, it celebrated the 100th anniversary of Tennessee's entry into the union in 1796. President William McKinley officially opened the event from the White House, where he pressed a button that started the machinery building at the fair; he would visit in person a month later.
The Panama–Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California, United States, from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Its stated purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely seen in the city as an opportunity to showcase its recovery from the 1906 earthquake. The fair was constructed on a 636 acre(1 sq. mi., 2.6 km2) site along the northern shore, between the Presidio and Fort Mason, now known as the Marina District.
The 1984 Louisiana World Exposition was a World's Fair held in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. It was held 100 years after the city's earlier World's Fair, the World Cotton Centennial in 1884. It opened on Saturday, May 12, 1984, and ended on Sunday, November 11, 1984. Its theme was "The World of Rivers—Fresh Waters as a Source of Life".
International Cotton Exposition (I.C.E.) was a world's fair held in Atlanta, Georgia, from October 4 to December 31 of 1881. The location was along the Western & Atlantic Railroad tracks near the present-day King Plow Arts Center development in the West Midtown area. It planned to show the progress made since the city's destruction during the Battle of Atlanta and new developments in cotton production. It demonstrated the rebirth of Atlanta and the South by announcing an end to the Reconstruction Era and the sectional hostilities that had plagued the nation for several decades.
The Cotton States and International Exposition was a world's fair held in Atlanta, Georgia, United States in 1895. The exposition was designed "to foster trade between southern states and South American nations as well as to show the products and facilities of the region to the rest of the nation and Europe."
The Piedmont Exposition of 1887 was the first exposition ever held in Piedmont Park in Atlanta, Georgia.
Bradford Lee Gilbert was a nationally active American architect based in New York City. He is known for designing the Tower Building in 1889, the first steel-framed building anywhere and the first skyscraper in New York City. This technique was soon copied across the United States. He also designed Atlanta's Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895, the Flatiron Building in Atlanta, and many railroad stations.
Strawberry Chapel is a parochial chapel of ease in the lower part of St. John's, Berkeley Parish in Berkeley County, South Carolina that was built in 1725. It is on Strawberry Chapel Road between South Carolina State Highway 8-44 and the West Branch of the Cooper River. Bordering Strawberry's property is the South Carolina State owned historic site of the “Town of Childsbury.” It was a planned community that was settled in 1707. The town no longer exists. They were named to the National Register of Historic Places on April 26, 1972.
Hampton Park is a public park located in peninsular Charleston, South Carolina, United States. At 60 acres (240,000 m2), it is the largest park on the peninsula. It is bordered by The Citadel to the west, Hampton Park Terrace to the south, North Central to the east, and Wagener Terrace to the north. The park is named in honor of Confederate General Wade Hampton III who, at the time of the Civil War, owned one of the largest collections of slaves in the South. After the Civil War, Hampton became a proponent of the Lost Cause movement, member of the Red Shirts and governor of South Carolina.
Lowndes Grove, also known as The Grove or Grove Farm, is a waterfront estate built in about 1786 on the Ashley River in Charleston. It is located in the Wagener Terrace neighborhood on a triangular plot of land bordered by St. Margaret Street, 5th Avenue, and 6th Avenue. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places on August 30, 1978.
The Women's Building or Woman's Building may refer to:
Louise Hammond Willis Snead was an American artist, writer, lecturer, and composer. Her art specialized in miniature painting, illustrations, and needlework. She lectured on Persian rugs, wrote articles of various topics under a masculine pseudonym, and even composed a march. She died in 1958.
The Miniature Railway Company on Broadway in Manhattan, New York, operated their ridable miniature railways at four World Expositions around 1900 and delivered them to many parks throughout the world.
Kushibiki Yumindo, also given as Yumeto, Yumito, and Yumeno, was a Japanese impresario responsible for organizing many international exhibitions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Wagener Terrace in Charleston, South Carolina is a large neighborhood made property that had been owned by Louis Dunnemann and Capt. F.W. Wagener.