Sesquicentennial International Exposition
philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/sesquicentennial-international-exposition
In 1926, Philadelphia hosted the Sesquicentennial International Exposition, a world’s fair, to commemorate the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Although it opened to great fanfare, the exposition failed to attract enough visitors to cover its costs. The fair organization went into receivership in 1927 and its assets were sold at auction.
The idea to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence by holding a world’s fair originated in 1916 with John Wanamaker (1838-1922), owner of Wanamaker’s department stores and lone survivor of the 1876 Centennial Exposition’s Finance Committee, who called upon Philadelphia to host an industrial and commercial exposition that would fittingly mark the birth of the United States. World War I temporarily derailed planning, but in 1920, Mayor J. Hampton Moore (1864-1950) and a group of leading citizens took up the effort; they incorporated the Sesquicentennial Exhibition Association (SCEA) in 1921.
Note: The above descriptive information came from Philadelphia Encyclopedia.
Info
- Links: 1926 Philadelphia (Non-BIE).
- Music: Sesqui-Centennial Exposition March (John Philip Sousa) (performed by Sousa's Band) (audio, 3m14s, at Internet Archive)
- Video: The Sesquicentennial of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence (YouTube, documentary, 24m06s)
- Photos: DOR Archives: Sesquicentennial (photo search results at phillyhistory.org)
- Presentation: Sesquicentennial International Exposition (PDF about the Exposition and its postage stamps, 113pp, at hamiltonphilatelic.org)
- Records: Sesqui-Centennial Exhibition Association (at Phila. Dept. of Records)
- Video: Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition Philadelphia 1926 (YouTube, pictures with music, 3m28s)
- Video: Postcard Views (YouTube, silent, 1m44s)
See Also
- American Swedish Historical Museum (Its building originated as part of the SIE.)
- Benjamin Franklin Bridge (The bridge was dedicated at the SIE.)
- Centennial Exhibition
- Historic Strawberry Mansion
- Jon Paul Sank's World's Fairs Page