John and Frances Glessner attended the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia
and, like many others, purchased a few items at the fair as souvenirs, which are still displayed in the house. John Glessner’s company, then known as Warder, Mitchell & Co., also exhibited its farm machinery in Agricultural Hall. This presentation will look at the Exposition as America’s first word’s fair and how it commemorated the 100th anniversary of the United States. It will also consider how railroads made it possible for people to reach the exhibition, and how the items sold at the Centennial helped spur the development of department stores in Victorian America.

The presentation will be given by John Hepp, professor emeritus of history at Wilkes University in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.

Independence Day at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago was remembered as “the greatest Fourth of July celebration in the nation’s history.” A record crowd filled Jackson Park to hear patriotic speeches and music, honor two Liberty Bells, see the Declaration of Independence, and watch a parade of nations march down the Midway Plaisance. At night, the Ferris Wheel was set on fire and an astounding fireworks show decorated the skies above the White City. 

The presentation will be given by Scott Cummings, an independent researcher who publishes worldsfairchicago1893.com, an educational website devoted to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.