Tennessee Centennial Exposition 1897
We love to be able to connect J.W. Kelly to specific historical events. Here’s another one: The Nashville World’s Fair 1897.
“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.”
At noon on May 1, 1897 President McKinley pressed an electric button in the White House that sparked equipment at the fair’s Machinery Building. This kicked off the six month celebration of Tennessee’s centennial (which was actually in 1896) and the World’s Fair.
“Construction style for the primary structures imitated the buildings of Chicago’s “White City,” the nickname given to the fairgrounds of the 1893 fair. Buildings exaggerated the standard elements of Classical design, with grand pediments, deep entablatures, columns capped by various orders of capitals, and fine rows of arched windows.
“Different cities and states provided individual buildings. The most popular of these was perhaps the Fine Arts building, a full-scale reproduction of the Parthenon in Athens. In 1897, Nashville had already acquired its nickname “The Athens of the South,” so the building epitomized the city’s classical ideals. Following the Victorian custom of the day, it was crammed with sculpture, paintings, and watercolors, for a total of 1,175 art objects.
“The History Building was modeled on the Erechtheon, another ancient Athenian building. It housed display space for the Tennessee Historical Society, United Confederate Veterans, Colonial Dames, and the Daughters of the American Revolution.
“Memphis’s contribution to the Centennial grounds took the shape of the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt. Memphis looked to its namesake, the ancient city on the Nile, and constructed a building that represented the architecture of Egypt. This reproduction served as the headquarters of both the Memphis and Shelby County delegations.
“The largest Exposition building, the Commerce Building, measured 591 feet long and 256 feet wide. The next building in size, the Agriculture Building (525 feet by 200 feet), likewise illustrated the importance of a vital aspect of the state’s economy.
“The Minerals and Forestry building featured products representative of its name. This building also provided a home for the exhibits of the State of Georgia, and of Marshall and Hamilton Counties, Tennessee. Within this building, Hamilton County built a replica of Ann Hathaway’s English cottage to house its Exposition headquarters.” -teva.org
And, you guessed it - J.W. Kelly was there to see it all.
Not only was Kelly there to witness another Exhibition (remember the Kelly’s also attended the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago), but this time he was one of the Chattanooga Stockholders in the Centennial.
Chattanooga Daily Times January 24, 1897
Ok, so Kelly himself had one share he bought for $5 ($174.16 in 2022), but still, he contributed.
Kelly was also likely at the opening of the Centennial, as he was reported to be in Nashville on May 13.
Chattanooga Daily Times May 13, 1897