Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition

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1897

of bird's-eye view of the

expo grounds

Overview

-class

Unrecognized exposition

Name

Tennessee Centennial and

International Exposition

Building(s)

More than 100 buildings

Area

200 acres

Visitors

1,786,714

Location

Country

United States

City

Venue

now

Timeline

Opening

May 1, 1897

Closure

October 31, 1897

The

Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition

was an exposition

held in

from May 1 – October 31, 1897 in what is now

A year late, it celebrated the 100th anniversary of

's entry

into

in 1796.

President

officially opened the

event from the

, where he pressed a button that started the

machinery building at the fair; he would visit in person a month later.

Description

[

]

The Exposition grounds covered about 200 acres and was located on the western

fringe of the city, with access to the streetcar line. The landscape plan

featured the notable

of the region planted in lawn areas. The more

than 100 buildings included those devoted to agriculture, commerce, education,

fine arts, history, machinery, minerals and forestry, and transportation.

Others had special exhibits related to children, women and the United States

Government. Many cities and organizations built buildings and exhibit halls on

the Exposition grounds. Foreign nations also were represented here.

The

played a central role in the

promotion and success of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, and carried

tourists to the event. John W. Thomas, who was president of the Railroad at

the time, served as president of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition.

Major

, who was the chief civil engineer for the Nashville,

Chattanooga and St. Louis Railroad, served as the director general of the

Exposition.

Lewis had suggested that a reproduction of the Parthenon be

built in Nashville as the centerpiece of Tennessee’s Centennial Celebration

to highlight the city as the "Athens of the South".

The Nashville and Memphis

pavilions at night along Watauga

Lake; the Commerce Building is at

rear

Tennessee Centennial

Exposition's Negro Building

The City of

featured a large pyramid in its exhibit, in honor of

. The Parthenon and the Pyramid were located next to each other on the

shore of Lake Wautaga. Both the exhibits were lit at night. The separate Egyptian

Pavilion featured popular

. During the exposition, Italian-style

gondolas plied the lake, carrying tourists by water between exhibits.

Also located along Lake Watauga, the Negro Building was designed in a Spanish

Renaissance style. Exhibits came from numerous cities, and

and

had their own exhibits. Booker T. Washington, president of the

latter, was a featured speaker on Emancipation Day.

The total attendance was 1,786,714, of which the total paid attendance was

1,166,692. The total receipts were $1,101,285 (equivalent to

$35.6 million in

2024

), and the disbursements $1,101,246 (equivalent to

$35.6 million in

2024

The Parthenon was so popular that it was kept after most buildings and exhibits were

dismantled. The original exposition grounds were adapted as

for the

city. Lake Watauga was also retained in the city park. The Centennial Exposition

was a great success and is still considered one of the most notable events ever to be held in the state. Unlike most

World's Fairs, it did not lose money, but the final accounting showed a direct profit of less than $50.

Later developments

[

]

The fair remains a great source of civic pride for Nashvillians. Today the fairgrounds survive as

, the

flagship park managed by the Metropolitan Nashville Parks and Recreation Department.

The

built for the exhibition was made of temporary materials. Because of its popularity, it was

reconstructed using permanent materials in a project lasting from 1920 to 1931. Today it is used as an art museum.

Among its exhibits is

's 1990 re-creation of the

statue.

Nearly a century later, the United States held the

References

[

]

cdm15138.contentdm.oclc.org

. Retrieved

2021-10-29

teva.contentdm.oclc.org

. Retrieved

2024-08-08

The Tennessean

. 1918-11-11. p. 3

. Retrieved

2021-10-29

teva.contentdm.oclc.org

. Retrieved

2021-10-29

Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023).

. Retrieved

November 30,

2023

United States

figures follow the

MeasuringWorth

series.

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the

. 1905.

External links

[

]

Wikimedia Commons has media

related to

—Collection of

photographs and sheet music as well as aspects of the history of the exhibition