Who was Samuel A. Dow? How did he get to the Columbian Exposition in Chicago from his home in North Hampton, New Hampshire? Which buildings did he visit on the fairgrounds? What site did he describe as “very beautiful beyond description”? The North Hampton Historical Society shares a summary of his diary in “Mr Dow Goes to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.”

The New Hampshire State Building. [Image from Arnold, C. D.; Higinbotham, H. D. World’s Columbian Exposition: State Buildings Portfolio of Views (National Cemograph Co., 1893).]