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Bird's-eye view of the expo grounds. Chromolithograph by The Henderson Litho Co., 1896.
The Nashville and Memphis pavilions at night, seen over Watauga Lake, with the Commerce Building at rear.

The Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition was an exposition staged between May 1 and October 31 of 1897 in Nashville in what is now Centennial Park. A year late, it celebrated the 100th anniversary of Tennessee's entry into the union in 1796.[1]

History

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Nashville lawyer James Douglas Anderson is credited as the first person to publicly advocate for a centennial celebration by sending editorials to major newspapers in 1892. [2][3] In 1893, the idea was taken up by William Crawford Smith, who encouraged the Nashville Commercial Club to organize a committee to plan the event.[2] The Executive Committee formed, and John W. Thomas, president of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway, was named chairman.[1] Though railroad companies supported the event by providing reduced rail fare and advertising, the Centennial was held a year later than planned due to the economic recession and disagreements.[1][4]

The Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition opened May 1, 1897 in Nashville, Tennessee and ran until October 30, 1897.[2] A total of 1,786,714 people attended the event.[2]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Tennessee Centennial Exposition, Tennessee Virtual Archive, Tennessee State Library and Archives.
  2. ^ a b c d Committee on Publication (1898). Justi, Herman (ed.). Official History of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Nashville, Tennessee: Press of the Brandon Printing Company. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  3. ^ James Douglas Anderson Papers, 1854-1951, Tennessee State Library and Archives.
  4. ^ Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition Collection, 1895-1900, Tennessee State Library and Archives.
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Further reading

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  • Cardon, Nathan. "The South's 'New Negroes' and African American Visions of Progress at the Atlanta and Nashville International Expositions, 1895-1897" Journal of Southern History (2014).
  • Cardon, Nathan. A Dream of the Future: Race, Empire, and Modernity at the Atlanta and Nashville World's Fairs (Oxford University Press, 2018).


01 Category:1897 in Tennessee Category:Events in Nashville, Tennessee Category:History of Nashville, Tennessee Category:1897 festivals Category:May 1897 events Category:June 1897 events Category:July 1897 events Category:August 1897 events Category:September 1897 events Category:October 1897 events Category:19th century in Nashville, Tennessee