The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, or “St. Louis World's Fair” in 1904 was attended by 19.7 million people. Many of our own Crittenden County families made this trip from April 30, 1904 to December 1, 1904, to visit all the marvelous sights and sounds of this World's Fair.
The Crittenden Press during this time was full of the names of families that were leaving to visit the fair, or returning home from a wonderful trip to the fair. I'm sure while they were there they made a special point to visit the beautiful Kentucky building, for there would be several exhibits that were unique from our own Crittenden County.
According to history from some of the people that attended, the Kentucky building was one of the most commanding of all the state structures on the ground. The building was surrounded by porches and verandas, it covered an area of 138 feet by 108 feet. The building had three floors, the first to be as a general reception hall, with a hard wood floor; the second as a ladies' reception hall, and the third, with its roof garden over looking the grounds.
In the center of the reception hall, on the first floor, was where the exhibits of minerals, forestry, and other agriculture exhibits were displayed. Crittenden County was well represented with several of these excellent products.
In their exhibit from the Blue & Nunn “Old Jim” mine will be two huge lumps of sulphide of zinc, each weighing over 3000 lbs., the two aggregating 3 tons; also, one immense piece of mixed galena weighing over 1,000 lbs. The exhibit carload will also contain a most representative lot of choice fluorspar, as well as typical grades of fluorspar, some of them weighing more than a ton each and are beautiful to look upon in their pearly luster.
Another exhibition from the county will be of coke from the Bell coal vein. Coal from this mine was sent to the Ashland Iron and Mining company some time since and coked for the Kentucky Exhibit Association.
The Agricultural
committee for Crittenden county, consisting of Charles W. Fox,
Frances, and J. W. Towery, is gathering samples to go in
Kentucky's agricultural space at the exposition. Samples of our great tobacco crop in the various stages of growth and preparation for market and its stemming factory. Also food products in grain and grasses, in apples, pears and peaches.
In the Forestry division exhibit will be the beautiful woods of white oak, black oak, quartered, plain and sawed, popular, maple and walnut timber; it's maple sugar and maple syrup, sorghum and honey.
The famous Crittenden Springs resort has been asked by the Exhibit Association to make a display of it's waters. There will be display case devoted to Kentucky waters, where will be found bottled specimens of well-known water from the famous springs located in the state.
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Awards at the end of the fair were made to Blue & Nunn of Marion for their exhibits of lead, zinc, fluorspar and silver metal and Kentucky Fluorspar Company, Marion, for fluorspar, and silver metal.
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At the end of the fair, it is recorded that the Kentucky building was sold for $325., and the Kentucky exhibits were turned over to the Kentucky Geological Survey at Lexington.
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This is a souvenir pin from the 1904 World's Fair. Lost through the passages of time, I would say there were several of these pins in Marion and Crittenden County brought back by the many local families that visited the fair. How wonderful to have one of these souvenir pins in your family treasures.
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