What was the official name of Philadelphia’s 1876 exposition celebrating the Declaration’s centennial before America250?
Answer
International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine
The official name of Philadelphia’s 1876 exposition celebrating the Declaration’s centennial before America250 was the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine.
The event is much more commonly called the Centennial Exposition or the Centennial International Exhibition. Its formal title emphasized the broad range of goods and knowledge displayed, including manufactured products, agricultural resources, mining materials, machinery, and fine arts.
Held in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park, the exposition marked the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It opened on May 10, 1876, and closed on November 10. Memorial Hall, Machinery Hall, and other purpose-built structures formed the core of the grounds.
The exposition is sometimes confused with later American world’s fairs, such as Chicago’s 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition or St. Louis’s 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Those were separate events with different commemorative purposes and official names.