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Mayhem on the Midway
Chicagoans rioted in the street—looting shops, destroying property, and attacking law enforcement. They were drunk, lascivious, and did not stop their mayhem until morning. The year was 1893. The place was the Midway Plaisance, the entertainment district of the World’s Columbian Exposition. Just two nights earlier, an assassin had gunned down Chicago’s colorful and beloved mayor, Carter Harrison, Sr., at his front door. With the pageant planned for the [...]
179. Picturesque World’s Fair – East Front of the Manufactures Building
EAST FRONT OF THE MANUFACTURES BUILDING.—From the lake alone could be obtained a comprehensive view of the Manufactures Building, the largest structure in the world. From the harbor it could be observed in all the majesty of its magnitude. It was like a mountain range, the first story and descending slope forming foothills to the great dome which, with the balustrade surmounting the promenade formed the crest of the [...]
“The greatest educational exhibit on earth.” Francis W. Parker on the 1893 World’s Fair
Educational reformer Francis W. Parker (1837–1902) advocated for the mental, physical, and moral development of children in public schools. “There is, perhaps, no name more widely known among the teachers of this country, than that of Col. Francis W. Parker,” wrote Lelia E. Patridge in 1883. During the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, Colonel Parker served as the principal of the Cook County Normal School in Chicago. He participated in [...]
1893 Viking Ship featured on “Backstory with Larry Potash”
The October 5, 2025, episode of Backstory with Larry Potash on WGN-TV featured a segment on “The Viking Ship That Took the World by Storm.” The feature story profiles the replica Viking ship that sailed from Norway to Chicago to be displayed at the 1893 World’s Fair. This treasured relic from the Columbian Exposition is preserved today in Geneva, Illinois, under the care of the Friends of the Viking [...]
Sep. 13-Nov 9, 2025: “Nocturne 1893” Haunted House (Schiller Park, IL)
One of Chicagoland’s scariest haunted house attractions invites brave guests to a frightening Fair. 13th Floor Haunted House describes their season attraction “Nocturn 1893”: On the final night of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, the lights begin to fade… and something far more sinister takes the stage. You arrive amid the celebration, unaware that behind the dazzling lights, something methodical and monstrous hunts in silence. Guests vanish, rumors spread, [...]
Modeling an 1893 World’s Fair Building in Silver Filigree
Visitors to the 1893 World’s Fair encountered several models of notable buildings. A miniature U.S. Treasury building constructed from half-dollar Columbian souvenir coins caught the attention of those who passed through the rotunda of the Administration Building. Lever Brothers displayed an impressive model of Windsor Castle in the British section of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building, and the Pullman Palace Car Company’s exhibit in the Transportation Building featured [...]
200 Columbian Half Dollar Souvenir Coins
An Iowa man visited the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and purchased quite a souvenir collection: 200 Columbian Half Dollar coins, two Isabella Quarters, and several souvenir medals. The hoard of Columbian Exposition collectibles recently hit the market, as described by Coin Week’s article “Man Attends World’s Fair 130 Years Ago and Leaves an Incredible Coin Inheritance.” The half dollars sold at the Fair for $1 each and the [...]
From FERRIS to WHEEL in a new puzzle craze
A new word-transformation game is taking puzzlers to new heights of excitement. Raddle, created by Sandy Weisz of Chicago’s puzzle design studio the Mystery League, ran a series of Chicago-themed games last week. A most memorable and mammoth attraction of the 1893 World’s Fair made it into the September 13 game, which featured a Raddle board stretching from “FERRIS” to “WHEEL.” Go for a spin here: https://raddle.quest/2025/09/13 [...]
178. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Iowa Building
THE IOWA BUILDING.—The building of the State of Iowa occupied a very attractive place in the Exposition grounds. It was situated in the extreme northeastern corner of the Fair grounds; one of its fronts overlooking Lake Michigan. It had the additional advantage that it was composed partly of the old Jackson Park Pavilion, a stone structure standing in the park before the Fair, and one of considerable architectural merit. [...]
Sep. 19, 2025-Feb. 28, 2026: “Traces” hints at the White City in Jackson Park
Buildings from the 1893 World’s Fair have been reconstructed in Jackson Park. Sort of. A view of "Traces" looking north from the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, a campus once home to the State Buildings of the 1893 World's Fair. For the past decade, the Chicago Architectural Biennial (CAB) has brought many fascinating, provocative, and engaging installations by architects, artists, and designers to sites around the [...]
“It would never do to leave it out”: How the Columbian Exposition was omitted from the U.S. Capitol’s FRIEZE OF AMERICAN HISTORY
The United States Capitol almost became the home of a painting to commemorate the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. [Image from Pennsylvania Railroad to the Columbian Exposition (Pennsylvania Railroad Co., 1892).] U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., February 24, 1890 “CHICAGO WINS,” headlines read across the country the next morning. The Midwest metropolis won the bid to host the upcoming World’s Fair on the eighth vote in the House of [...]
Chicago buzzes in for “Inside Jeopardy Live on Tour”
“Inside Jeopardy Live on Tour” brought Ken Jennings and friends to the Windy City on Friday, September 12. Jeopardy! fans gathered in the historic Chicago Theater for a live taping of the “Inside Jeopardy!” podcast, hosted by Michael Davies and Sarah Foss. Special guest appearances by champion Juveria Zaheer and Celebrity Jeopardy! champion W. Kamau Bell rounded out the first half of the night. Then Ken Jennings took the stage [...]
“Hopeless helplessness” at the 1893 World’s Fair
The editor of the Chicago Record offered this advice for seeing the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, enormous as it was. Seeing the Fair Nine out of ten people who find themselves for the first time within the World’s Fair gates are aware of a sensation of hopeless helplessness before the baffling array of buildings and perspectives. The doors of half a hundred interesting-looking palaces stand temptingly open, and the [...]
Eugene Field on the Apostle of Toadyism, Ward McAllister
The June 1, 1893, edition of the Boston Globe announced that “Ward McAllister arrived in Chicago yesterday.” The Brooklyn Citizen made the same claim, with some addional spice: “Ward McAllister arrived in Chicago and went at once to the Hotel Metropole. A rumor went around the hotel that Hobart Chatfield Chatfield-Taylor, who, as Spanish Consul, expects to become acquainted with the infanta, had become alarmed at the possibilities of [...]
Sep. 10, 2025: “When Bathurst Shone on the World Stage” (Bathurst, Australia)
The Bathurst Library will host a talk on Australian participation in the 1893 World’s Fair on Wednesday, September 10, 2025. Local artist and freelance archivist Kim Bagot-Hiller will discuss “When Bathurst Shone on the World Stage” from 2:30-3:30 PM. The Colony of New South Wales sent people and exhibits on a long journey over the water to share what the Colony had to offer, including displays from Bathurst. The [...]
177. Picturesque World’s Fair – The Lagoon in front of the Art Palace
THE LAGOON IN FRONT OF THE ART PALACE.—It was not a very big sheet of water which lay just south of the Art Palace in the Exposition grounds. It was not imposing in dimensions, though it was by no means small, and it was not such a thoroughfare for launches and gondolas as were other lagoons and connecting straits, but it is doubtful if ever a sheet of water [...]
A Garden of Architectural Splendors at the 1893 World’s Fair
Charles H. Dennis (1860–1943) served as the managing editor of the Chicago Record during the 1893 World’s Fair and likely penned these thoughts about the architectural wonders of the Exposition. Exhibits and Their Shelters Theoretically the prime object of a World's Fair is the exposition of the various products and the progress of man's handiwork. For purposes of protection and shelter these exhibits must be roofed over and inclosed; [...]
Dissatisfied with the Court of Honor
Nearly all visitors to the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago were stopped in their tracks by the stunning beauty of the Court of Honor, the quadrangle of white palaces surrounding the Grand Basin. At least one visitor, however, had a gripe to pick, as reported (facetiously) by the Chicago Record: “It's really a beastly shame,” said the English visitor at the World's Fair. “It's a beastly shame the way [...]
“A realized picture one will never forget”: Windsor Castle in Miniature at the Columbian Exposition
Visitors to the 1893 World’s Fair who entered the west portal of the Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building encountered a remarkable scene on their right. The striking display left no doubt that they had arrived in the exhibition space of Great Britain. A handsome art gallery wore a fanciful crown—a detailed miniature of Windsor Castle, forty-five feet long and eighteen feet wide. This intricate roof-top model enticed visitors to [...]
Living Souvenirs of the World’s Fair of 1893
A visitor to the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition sent a letter home to Augusta, Maine, reporting about many sights on the fairgrounds and in Chicago. Author “E. H. J.” concludes with these thoughts: “Our notebooks are full, our pocketbooks are empty, and we're going home to rest and think. We are tired. Not by the hot weather, or walking, or sight-seeing, but by the souvenirs. You can not buy [...]