The Piedmont Exposition of 1887 was the first

exposition Exposition (also the French for exhibition) may refer to: *Universal exposition or World's Fair * Expository writing ** Exposition (narrative) * Exposition (music) *Trade fair A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade e ...

ever held in Piedmont Park in

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Founding of the Piedmont Exposition Company

The Piedmont Exposition Company was founded in June 1887 by a group of men who met in the offices of the ''Atlanta Constitution''. The company's chief purpose was to organize the Piedmont Exhibition for the purpose of exhibiting the natural resources of the

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region, including Georgia,

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, and

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Directors

* Oliver Clyde Fuller * John Tyler Cooper * G. M. Bain * E. P. Chamberlin * M. C. Kiser * James W. English * T. D. Meador * John A. Fitten * G. W. Adair * C. D. Horn * J. Kingsbury * J. R. Wylie * S. H. Phelan * W. L. Peel * W. W. Boyd * T. L. Langston * E. Rich * P. H. Snook * Rufus Brown Bullock * Samuel M. Inman

Executive committee

* John Tyler Cooper * J. R. Wylie * S. H. Phelan * C. D. Horn * G. M. Bain * E. P. Chamberlin * Rufus Brown Bullock

Planning

Planning of the exposition took only 104 days from the time the company was formed.Reed, "History", p.21 The main plan called for the clearing out of a forest, an area now known as Piedmont Park, as well as the construction of several expensive buildings and a horse racetrack., The main building constructed for the Exposition was long, wide, and two stories high.

Opening

The Piedmont Exposition of 1887, the first exposition ever held in Piedmont Park, opened on October 10. The first day opened with 20,000 visitors.Newman, 2006 Opening orations were performed by Governor

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and Hon. Samuel J. Randall of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Randall opened the Exposition with a speech on the success of the resurrected post-civil war south."Mr. Randall", 1887 When his speech concluded, General Pierce M. B. Young and his men fired cannons to signal the opening of the events. Exhibitors showed off a variety of items including works of art, local raw materials like manganese marble, and wood work. Many prominent figures of the day were in attendance to see the displays. Governor

David B. Hill David Bennett Hill (August 29, 1843October 20, 1910) was an American politician from New York who was the 29th Governor of New York from 1885 to 1891 and represented New York in the United States Senate from 1892 to 1897. In 1892, he made an u ...

of New York spoke at the event as well as President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

who attended with his young wife, Frances Folsom, on October 19. Over 50,000 people were in attendance for Cleveland's speech. The event closed on October 22 with a total attendance of about 200,000. When the exposition was over, civic leaders said that it had successfully expanded Atlanta's reputation as a place to visit and to conduct business. The Exposition was also a chance for Atlanta to prove that it was ready to host the

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

. The executive committee of the fair was invited to attend the event under the bidding of Charles Reynolds, secretary of the Piedmont Exposition Company."World's", 1889

Notes

References

Grover Cleveland
" The White House Official Website. n.d. Accessed on 2008-06-05.
MR. RANDALL IN ATLANTA: At the Opening of the Piedmont Exhibition.
The New York Times. October 11, 1887. Accessed on 2008-06-05. *Newman, Harvey K.
Cotton Expositions in Atlanta
. The New Georgia Encyclopedia. August 24, 2006. Accessed on 2008-06-05.
1887 Piedmont Exposition Main Building
" The New Georgia Encyclopedia. October 15, 1887. Accessed on 2008-06-05. *Reed, Wallace Putnam. History of Atlanta, Georgia: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of it Prominent Men and Pioneers. (1889) Syracuse, NY:D. Mason & Co.
TO BID FOR VOTES IN GEORGIA
" The New York Times. October 13, 1889. Accessed on 2008-06-05.
WORLD’S FAIR SCHEMES: Proposed Financial Aid from the City
" The New York Times. October 8, 1889. Accessed on 2008-06-05. {{List of world's fairs in The United States of America History of Atlanta World's fairs in Georgia (U.S. state) 1887 in Georgia (U.S. state) 19th century in Atlanta 1887 festivals