Carter Harrison Archives - Chicago's 1893 Worlds Fair

When Ward McAllister Sauced Chicago, Part 3
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When Ward McAllister Sauced Chicago, Part 3

HISTORY

When Ward McAllister Sauced Chicago, Part 3

Second Course: Chicago Bites Back Continued from Part 2. “The World’s Fair cannot help but open the eyes of our Western Natives to our superiority.” —Ward McAllister Would Chicago frappé its wine too much? Certainly not with the rising temperatures caused by Ward McAllister’s sanctimonious sermon on proper entertaining during the 1893 World’s Fair. Chicago newspapers launched a vigorous counterattack in the days following the publication of McAllister’s interview in the New York World on April 9, 1893. [...]

By Scott|2022-03-04T07:14:16-06:00February 25th, 2022|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: Carter Harrison, Ellen Henrotin, Hobart Chatfield-Taylor, New York, Puck Building, Ward McAllister|1 Comment

When Ward McAllister Sauced Chicago, Part 2
Gallery
When Ward McAllister Sauced Chicago, Part 2

HISTORY

When Ward McAllister Sauced Chicago, Part 2

First Course: The Frappé Fracas Continued from Part 1. “A new and amusing feature of life in this Republic is the war between Chicago and Mr. Ward McAllister.” —New York World, April 16, 1893 Ward McAllister, arbiter of New York Society. [Image from Society As I Have Found It (Cassell & Co., 1890).] The first champagne cork flew across Chicago Society’s nose on April 9, 1893, in the pages of the New York World. Ward McAllister set out [...]

By Scott|2022-02-25T16:00:16-06:00February 18th, 2022|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: Carter Harrison, New York, Ward McAllister, Wellington Catering Company|3 Comments

1893 World’s Fair ends in tragedy
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1893 World’s Fair ends in tragedy

NEWS

1893 World’s Fair ends in tragedy

The World's Columbian Exposition closed on October 30, 1893. The Chicago Sun-Times recalls the tragedy that cast a shadow over the planned, but cancelled, closing ceremonies. The full story is available at "World’s Fair ends in tragedy".

By Scott|2021-10-30T11:53:59-05:00October 30th, 2021|Categories: NEWS|Tags: Carter Harrison|0 Comments

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s Visit to the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Part 2
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Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s Visit to the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Part 2

HISTORY

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s Visit to the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Part 2

Continued from Part 1 Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi in 1880. “I come to see the American side of the Fair” On September 10, 1893, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and his wife Jeanne-Émilie arrived in Chicago and settled into the Hotel Metropole. This hotel stood on Michigan Avenue at 23rd Street, just south of the tony Prairie Avenue District called home by many of Chicago’s elite citizens, including Marshall Field, George Pullman, Ferdinand ("Ferd") W. Peck, and John Jacob Glessner. [...]

By Scott|2024-01-28T12:05:19-06:00July 6th, 2021|Categories: HISTORY|Tags: Art Institute of Chicago, Buffalo Bill, Carter Harrison, Columbian Liberty Bell, Eugene Field, Ferd Peck, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, Gorham Manufacturing Company, Harry G. Selfridge, Palace of Fine Arts, Philip Armour, Union League Club of Chicago|2 Comments

Season’s Readings: World’s Columbian Exposition Books from 2019
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Season’s Readings: World’s Columbian Exposition Books from 2019

FICTION, NEWS, PRODUCTS, RESEARCH

Season’s Readings: World’s Columbian Exposition Books from 2019

2019 brought several additions to the World’s Columbian Exposition bookshelf.

By Scott|2022-04-15T09:06:05-05:00December 11th, 2019|Categories: FICTION, NEWS, PRODUCTS, RESEARCH|Tags: Anthony Comstock, Carter Harrison, Dahomey Village, Diana, Enid Yandell, H. H. Holmes, Little Egypt, May French Sheldon, Opening Day, Sol Bloom, White Rabbits|0 Comments

“We will hardly make fools of ourselves.” Carter Harrison’s Bid to Be the World’s Fair Mayor
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“We will hardly make fools of ourselves.” Carter Harrison’s Bid to Be the World’s Fair Mayor

REPRINTS

“We will hardly make fools of ourselves.” Carter Harrison’s Bid to Be the World’s Fair Mayor

After serving four terms as mayor of Chicago from 1879 to 1887, Carter Harrison, Sr. ran again in 1893 to become the “World’s Fair Mayor.” He oversaw the city’s hosting of the World’s Columbian Exposition until the fateful evening that he was assassinated, just days before the scheduled closing of the Fair. Shortly after the mayor’s death, The Review of Reviews (December 1893, p. 663) published this article, which included a letter written to the journal by the mayor [...]

By Scott|2019-01-03T21:06:08-06:00January 16th, 2019|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Carter Harrison|0 Comments

The Dying Scene of this Magnificent Exposition: Mayor Carter Harrison’s Final Speech
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The Dying Scene of this Magnificent Exposition: Mayor Carter Harrison’s Final Speech

REPRINTS

The Dying Scene of this Magnificent Exposition: Mayor Carter Harrison’s Final Speech

World’s Columbian Exposition celebrated “American Cities Day” on Saturday, October 28, 1893, two days before the close of the Fair. Chicago’s Mayor, Carter Harrison, hosted what was thought to be the largest congregation of U.S. mayors ever assembled. Greeting the guests as they arrived on the fairgrounds on the bitterly cold day was the blast of a cannon and musical fanfares from a group of sixteen trumpeters stationed around Music Hall. Mayors represented the great cities of Philadelphia, Milwaukee, [...]

By Scott|2022-12-10T10:10:40-06:00October 28th, 2018|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: American Cities Day, Carter Harrison, Columbian Liberty Bell, Daniel Burnham, Devil in the White City (book), Eugene Patrick Prendergast, Grover Cleveland, John Root, Manhattan Day, Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building, Music Hall, New York, New York State Building, Tiffany|0 Comments

Oct. 28, 2018: “The World’s Columbian Exposition in Music and Story” at Second Presbyterian Church (Chicago)
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Oct. 28, 2018: “The World’s Columbian Exposition in Music and Story” at Second Presbyterian Church (Chicago)

EVENTS (past)

Oct. 28, 2018: “The World’s Columbian Exposition in Music and Story” at Second Presbyterian Church (Chicago)

The historic Second Presbyterian Church in Chicago will celebrate the legacy of the 1893 World’s Fair with an event on October 28, 2018. The date marks the 125th anniversary of the assassination of five-time Chicago mayor Carter H. Harrison, Sr. just days before the scheduled end of the World’s Columbian Exposition. The tragic event sent the city into mourning and the closing ceremonies were replaced by a public memorial service. “The World's Columbian Exposition in Music and Story” will feature [...]

By Scott|2022-03-05T10:34:33-06:00September 28th, 2018|Categories: EVENTS (past)|Tags: Carter Harrison, music|0 Comments

Opening Day, Part 12: Tour of the Fairgrounds
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Opening Day, Part 12: Tour of the Fairgrounds

OPENING DAY

Opening Day, Part 12: Tour of the Fairgrounds

Tour of the Fairgrounds This is Part 12 of our series “Opening Day of the World’s Fair,” which explores the events of May 1, 1893, at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The full series can be found here. After the “Banquet of Nations” luncheon, President Cleveland and his entourage embarked on a whirlwind tour of the Columbian Exposition grounds and buildings. They departed from the north entrance of the Administration Building where carriages were waiting. “President Cleveland [...]

Opening Day, Part 3: A Sea of Humanity
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Opening Day, Part 3: A Sea of Humanity

OPENING DAY

Opening Day, Part 3: A Sea of Humanity

A Sea of Humanity This is Part 3 of our series “Opening Day of the World’s Fair,” which explores the events of May 1, 1893, at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The full series can be found here. As the procession of the President of the United States began its march south on Michigan Avenue, thousands of people in downtown Chicago began forming their own spontaneous parade to the World’s Fair. Everyone on West Madison Street and North [...]