History
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On May 1, 1897, President William McKinley pulled a lever in Washington, D.C., setting machinery in motion that officially opened the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Inspired by the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Nashville's Commercial Club promoted a similar event to strengthen the city's economy while celebrating one hundred years of Tennessee statehood. West Side Park, a state-owned racetrack and former state fair venue, was chosen as the site; the land had earlier been part of John Cockrill's 640-acre farm and a terminus of the Natchez Trace. Built economically of wood and plaster, a temporary "White City" of classically inspired buildings quickly rose there. Opening one year after the state's 1896 centennial, the Exposition drew about ten thousand visitors each day to a city of 95,000 people. Its exhibit halls, city and state buildings, art galleries, rides and games, theaters, gardens, and packed schedule of activities brought visitors from across the country. After a six-month run and 1.8 million attendees, it closed on October 30, 1897. Shaped by Nashvillians, the Exposition and its legacy, Centennial Park, in turn helped shape Nashville.
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Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), Tennessee · United States
