Cotton States Exposition of 1895

The Cotton States Exposition of 1895 was held for 100 days from Sept. 18 to Dec. 31, 1895, in Piedmont Park at a time when the region's population was only 75,000 and the economy was depressed. The people of Atlanta raised two million dollars to finance a public exposition whose twofold theme was to exhibit the resources of the Cotton States and to stimulate trade with Spanish American countries. The exposition attracted over 800,000 visitors from 37 states and foreign countries, and eleven elaborate exhibition buildings were built to house 6,000 exhibits, including the 65,000 sq. ft. US Government Building, the Negro Building, Women's Building, Georgia Building, and Electrical Building. Other attractions included a Ferris Wheel, moving picture theater, water rides, a reunion of Confederate and Union soldiers, a University of Georgia versus Auburn University football game, the Liberty Bell, Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, President Grover Cleveland, and John Philips Sousa composed the King Cotton March for the occasion. All citizens were involved in the exposition, and its success proved to lift the community to a high plane of prosperity and public spirit.

Atlanta, Georgia · United States