I recently had the opportunity to visit the newest permanent exhibit at the Missouri History Museum, which commemorates the 120th anniversary of the 1904 World’s Fair in Saint Louis! If you’re anything like me, you grew up in St. Louis public schools and learned how much magic (ice cream!) and fun (giant Ferris wheel!) the Fair brought to St. Louis, but as a kid, you can’t quite understand the undertaking of putting on an event like the World’s Fair. The World’s Fair is arguably one of the most influential events in St. Louis’s history, putting us on the global map!
From April 30 to December 1, 1904, more than 19 million visitors from around the world came to the Lou to enjoy entertainment, attractions, the famous Ferris wheel, culinary delights, cultures from around the world and MORE. It was truly the experience of the century. This newly reimagined exhibit is a celebration of this event and an opportunity to learn about the Fair from a wider variety of perspectives.
I loved many things about the exhibit like the historical artifacts, objects, and garments from a completely different era, but I especially loved the giant replica of the World’s Fairgrounds, which obviously were centered in and around the Forest Park area. I had never seen a 3D model of all of the buildings constructed and the grand scale of the event. In the center of the exhibit hall, you get to see it with a projection of a present-day map layered on top to give you a physical representation and reference to the idea of “fairgrounds.”
After learning more facts about the Fair in action during those months in 1904, I also learned about all of the people who made it happen. The Fair was in St. Louis but would not have been possible without the expertise of laborers and artisans brought in from across the world to construct beautiful and immaculate architecture for the world to see. This display also takes the time to feature the people who were exploited as exhibits, the ones not allowed to attend the fair, and what else was going on in the world and our country that impacted the World’s Fair.
Here are a few kid-friendly items to note:
