The Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition was a World's Fair staged between May 1 and October 31 of 1897 in Nashville. It celebrated the 100th anniversary of Tennessee's entry into the union in 1796, although it was technically a year late.
The Nashville and Memphis pavilions at night, seen over Watauga Lake, with the Commerce Building at rear.
Many cities and organizations built buildings and exhibit halls on the Exposition grounds, conveniently located on the streetcar line on the western fringe of the city. Among the most prominent were those of Nashville itself, and its nearby rival, Memphis. Nashville designed its pavilion after the Parthenon in Greece due to the city's nickname as The Athens of the South. Memphis's exhibit, in honor of its Egyptian name, was a large pyramid. These structures no longer exist, but they have their echos in both cities today. Nashville's temporary Parthenon was reconstructed in permanent materials in the 1920s and still stands today as an art gallery on the original exposition grounds, which became Centennial Park. In the 1980s, Memphis built a new sports arena in the shape of a huge pyramid by the banks of the Mississippi.
Other attractions on the grounds were the Negro Pavilion, the gondolas on Lake Watauga (which is still a feature of the park today) and the Egyptian Pavilion with its belly-dancers. The Centennial Exposition was a great success and is still considered one of the most notable events ever to be held in the state. Unlike most World's Fairs, it did not lose money, although the final accounting showed a direct profit of less than $50.
A second World's Fair, the 1982 World's Fair, was also held in Tennessee, in Knoxville.
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Last updated: 05-21-2005 14:00:16
