Tennessee Centennial Exposition...and the Memphis Pyramid Exhibition

1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition

...and the Memphis Pyramid Exhibition

The Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition was held in Nashville from 1 May to 31 October 1897. It was staged to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Tennessee's admission into the Union as the 16th state. Nineteen states participated in the Expo as well as 16 foreign nations. A very impressive array of buildings was constructed to house the exhibits. Each building was constructed to serve only a temporary purpose and was built of wood and plaster so they could be town down at the close of the Exposition.

With 1.7 million visitors, far fewer than Chicago's Fair and the St. Louis Exposition, the Fair was still considered successful. And unlike most World Fairs, the Nashville Exposition didn't lose money, although the final accounting showed a profit of less than $50. The lower attendance was likely due to a yellow fever epidemic in the Gulf Coastal States, which probably frightened many northerners away.

Normally the Historic-Memphis website wouldn't give full treatment to something occurring in another Tennessee city. But the Memphis-Shelby County exhibit was a unique and major part of the expo and will, naturally, be featured below.

	*Click on small photos to enlarge them.*

Memorabilia from the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition

The U. S. Congress authorized $100,000 to participate in the Exposition. That included the set-up of a US Mint Exhibit which struck Souvenir Medals at the Mint's exhibit booth. These medals are now major collector's items. Other popular items are calendars, posters featuring the major buildings at the Fair, tickets, and colorful "souvenir cards". The most popular items include an image of Nashville's full scale replica of the Parthenon and the aerial view of the Centennial Park showing all the exhibition buildings.

Aerial View Centennial Park


*Expo Calendars*	*Expo Posters*	*Expo Buttons*	*Expo Coins*	*US Mint Medals*

Tickets cost 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children. Season Tickets and Passes were also popular choices.
	*Tickets*	*Season Tickets*	*Expo Passes*


*Drawings of the Park*	*Expo Programs*	*Sheet Music*	*Souvenir Cards*	*Souvenir Cards*


*Harper's Weekly*	*Harper's Weekly*	*Posters*	*Souvenir Plates*	*Medallions*	*Hand Painted Scarfs*


*Mug*	*Mug*	*Glass*	*Tray*	*Medals*	*Medals*


*Ribbon*				*Medals*

The Memphis-Shelby Country Exhibit at the Tennessee Centennial

Memphis and Shelby County came up with the novel ideal of looking to its namesake, the ancient city on the Nile, and constructed their building to represent the architecture of Egypt. It was a wise choice, as folks immediately knew that the building in the shape of a pyramid, represented Memphis. Nothing like this had ever been done before and Shelby County was congratulated for their bold and clever idea. Unfortunately, like all buildings at the Centennial , it was not built to last as it was built of plaster and wood. At the close of the Centennial, the pyramid was demolished - something at which Memphis would become very proficient.

The Memphis-Shelby Co Pyramid


*Vintage photos of the Memphis - Shelby County Pyramid at the Tennessee Centennial Expostion*

Vintage photos of the Memphis - Shelby County Pyramid at the Tennessee Centennial Expostion

While many visitors to the Fair had electric lights in their homes, it's unlikely that they had ever seen so many lights at one time as those that illuminated the buildings each night in Centennial Park. It must have been a spectacular sight at the time.

Centennial Park and the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition

The Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition was staged to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Tennessee's admission into the Union as the 16th state. Tennessee's actual centennial year was 1896, but funding issues and construction delays pushed the event into 1897.

An impressive array of buildings was constructed to house the many exhibits. Nearly 100 structures ran the spectrum from the eccentric to the splendidly ornate, with exaggerated elements of Classical design. The Expo was, above all, a celebration of technological progress, with major exhibits devoted to commerce, agriculture, machinery, and transportation.

Centennial Park under construction


*Interior under construction*	*Special RR car*	*Special Street Cars*	*Entrance Gates*


*Lake Katherine*	*Centennial Park*	*Vine Arbor*	*Administration Bldg*

At noon May 1, 1897, President William McKinley officially opened the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in Nashville. While he didn't actually visit the Exposition until the next month, organizers of the event arranged for him to press an electric button in the White House that sparked an electrical relay than ran down through Virginia to North Carolina, across Tennessee to Nashville, which fired a cannon, setting the machinery into motion and opening the gates to the Exposition.

President McKinley opens Expo


*Parthenon*	*Parthenon*	*Parthenon*	*Athena*	*Parthenon - Athena*

ABOVE: Nashville's nickname was "Athens of the South" and they selected the Parthenon as their Expo pavilion because it "epitomized the city's classical ideals." They built a full scale, exact replica of the Parthenon and it became the favorite building at the Fair, as well as the "theme building." It was also the Fine Arts building and following Victorian custom of the day, it was crammed with sculpture and paintings, displayed from floor to ceiling..

Like all the buildings at the Fair, the Parthenon was not meant to be permanent. And it wasn't. It was made from plaster, wood, and brick. By the time the Expo closed, the citizens of Nashville had fallen in love with their Greek replica and were determined to keep "the crown jewel of the Exposition." But by the 1920s it had fallen into disrepair. So the city reconstructed the Parthenon in permanent materials and it still stands as an art gallery on the original exposition grounds.


*Auditorium Bldg*	*Agricultural Bldg*	*Illinois Bldg*	*Giant Globe*


*Women's Bldg*	*Negro Bldg*	*Electric Fountain*	*See Saw Ride*


*Flower Parade*	*Flower Parade*	*Flower Parade*	*Statue of Virtue*

Terminal Building Rialto Bridge Band Stand Spain
Park - Night

48 Page Book: Tennessee Centennial Program


*Interior Negro Bldg*	*Interior*	*Interior NY Bldg*	*Interior Woman's Bldg*	*Interior Woman's Bldg*


*Interior Edison Exhibit*	*Interior Treasury Exhibit*	*Guard At Expo*	*Parthenon*	*Pythian Building*


*Interior U.S. Exhibit*	*Interior U.S. Exhibit*	*Interior U.S. Exhibit*	*Interior U. S. Exhibit*	*Cuban Village*


*Auditorium Bldg*	*Streets of Cairo*	*Rialto at Night*	*Old Water Wheel*	*Water Slide*


*A View of the Park*	*A View of the Park*	*A View of the Park*	*A View of the Park*

"Special Days at Centennial Park"

The Expo organizers came up with a brilliant promotional idea: "Special Days..." These days were set to honor every State, ethnic group, city, and organization, etc. There were reduced train fares available these days, special admission prices, parades in the park, and souvenirs tailored to each group. (Would you believe that included in these Special Days was a "Negro Day"? This was 1897).

Vetertans Day


*Presbyterian*	*Artists-Authors Day*	*Georgia Day*	*GermanAmer. Day*	*IrishAmerican Day*	*Conf Vets Day*	*Nashville Day*

Today, it's hard to imagine Nashville without its Parthenon. That, and the gondola rides on the lake are the only remaining traces of the city's 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition.

Credits

The Historic-Memphis website does not intentionally post copyrighted photos and material without permission or credit. On occasion a "non-credited" photo might possibly be posted because we were unable to find a name to give credit. Because of the nature of our non-commercial, non-profit, educational website, we strongly believe that these photos would be considered "Fair Use. We have certainly made no monetary gain, although those using this website for historic or Genealogy research have certainly profited. If by chance, we have posted your copyrighted photo, please contact us, and we'll remove it immediately, or we'll add your credit if that's your choice. In the past, we have found that many photographers volunteer to have their works included on these pages and we'll also do that if you contact us with a photo that fits a particular page.

The "Historic-Memphis" website would like to acknowledge and thank the following for their contributions which helped make this website possible: Memphis Public Library, Memphis University Library, Memphis Law Library, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Memphis Press Scimitar, Shelby County Register of Deeds, Memphis City Schools, Memphis Business Men's Club, Memphis Chamber of Commerce, Memphis City Park Commission, Memphis Film Commision, Carnival Memphis, Memphis Historical Railroad Page, Memphis Heritage Inc, Beale Street Historic District, Cobblestone Historic District, Memphis Historic Districts, Vance Lauderdale Family Archives, Tennessee State Archives, Library of Congress, Kemmons Wilson Family, Richard S. Brashier, Lee Askew, George Whitworth, Woody Savage and many individuals whose assistance is acknowledged on the pages of their contributions. Special thanks to Memphis Realtor, Joe Spake, for giving us carte blanche access to his outstanding collection of contemporary Memphis photos.

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