Columbian Guard Archives - Chicago's 1893 Worlds Fair

Nov. 12, 2023: “Collectibles from Chicago’s Two World’s Fairs” (Chicago)
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Nov. 12, 2023: “Collectibles from Chicago’s Two World’s Fairs” (Chicago)

COLLECTING, EVENTS (past)

Nov. 12, 2023: “Collectibles from Chicago’s Two World’s Fairs” (Chicago)

The Glessner House in Chicago is hosting an event showcasing collections from both the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and the 1933-34 Century of Progress. On Sunday, November 12, 2023, "Collectibles from Chicago's Two World's Fairs" will bring together several World's Fair collectors who will exhibit a portion of their collections, ranging from guidebooks, postcards, tickets, and commemorative coins to wall hangings, glass and ceramic tchotchkes, plates, and silver spoons. We will be bringing some items from our collection and [...]

By Scott|2023-12-28T10:39:51-06:00October 5th, 2023|Categories: COLLECTING, EVENTS (past)|Tags: 1933-34 World's Fair, Columbian Guard|0 Comments

The Fair as a Spectacle, Part 2: In Search of the Picturesque
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The Fair as a Spectacle, Part 2: In Search of the Picturesque

REPRINTS

The Fair as a Spectacle, Part 2: In Search of the Picturesque

Continued from Part 1 [Note: This text includes names and descriptions now considered culturally disparaging. Please see our statement on “Potentially Offensive Text and Images.”] THE FAIR AS A SPECTACLE. How it seemed to a visitor—Strolling and dreaming by day and by night. By Charles Mulford Robinson Part 2: In Search of the Picturesque But in that brief view a lesson was also taught you which you took to heart at once. It was that the charm of the [...]

By Scott|2023-07-02T13:10:12-05:00July 1st, 2023|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Charles Mulford Robinson, Christopher Columbus (statue by Lawrence), Columbian Guard, Court of Honor, Golden Door, gondolas, Ho-o-den, Japanese Tea House, MacMonnies Fountain, Palace of Fine Arts, rolling chairs, Transportation Building, Woman's Building, Wooded Island|1 Comment

Echoes of the White City Part 3: “Fourteen Villages and a Jail”
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Echoes of the White City Part 3: “Fourteen Villages and a Jail”

HISTORY

Echoes of the White City Part 3: “Fourteen Villages and a Jail”

Entering Battery D Armory, visitors to “Echoes of the White City” faced a replica in miniature of one of the greatest attractions of the 1893 World’s Fair

Windmills Causing Illness at the 1893 World’s Fair?
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Windmills Causing Illness at the 1893 World’s Fair?

REPRINTS

Windmills Causing Illness at the 1893 World’s Fair?

The story below comes from the June 6, 1893, issue of the Chicago Times, but feels oddly relevant in light of recent, strange claims making news headlines. In the southeast corner of the fairgrounds of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, two men overwhelmed by the great windmill exhibit encounter a sober Columbian guard who offers sage advice. When the World’s Congress on Temperance opened on June 5, many newspapers responded by offering commentary on drinking, though usually lacking in [...]

By Scott|2022-12-10T10:10:04-06:00April 8th, 2019|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Bernheim Brothers Whiskey, Big Tree Restaurant, Columbian Guard, Intramural Railway, Old Times Distillery, windmills|0 Comments

THE LADY OF THE LAKE by Julian Hawthorne Part III: Curiosities of the Midway Plaisance
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THE LADY OF THE LAKE by Julian Hawthorne Part III: Curiosities of the Midway Plaisance

REPRINTS

THE LADY OF THE LAKE by Julian Hawthorne Part III: Curiosities of the Midway Plaisance

Author Julian Hawthorne visited the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Reprinted below is the third part of Julian Hawthorne’s “The Lady of the Lake” about his June visit to the fairgrounds and published in the August 1893 issue of Lippincott’s Magazine. The previous installments can be found in Part I and Part II. [NOTE: By today’s standards, some of Hawthorne’s remarks about the Midway Plaisance and citizens of the international villages sound racist. It was not uncommon for commentators [...]

By Scott|2022-12-10T10:03:20-06:00February 5th, 2019|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Columbian Guard, Hagenbeck's Animal Arena, Java Village, Julian Hawthorne, Midway Plaisance, sedan chair, Street in Cairo, Temple of Luxor, Turkish Village|0 Comments

Men Who Will Guard the Fair: Col. Edmund Rice and his Columbian Guard
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Men Who Will Guard the Fair: Col. Edmund Rice and his Columbian Guard

REPRINTS

Men Who Will Guard the Fair: Col. Edmund Rice and his Columbian Guard

Colonel Edmund Rice served as commander of the Columbian Guard, the security and safety force that performed policing and fire-patrol duty inside the grounds of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. Erik Larson notes in The Devil in the White City (p. 138) that “unlike conventional police departments, the Guard’s mandate explicitly emphasized the novel idea of preventing crime rather than merely arresting wrongdoers after the fact.” Just prior to taking command of the Columbian Guard in May of [...]

By Scott|2018-07-07T09:02:38-05:00July 20th, 2018|Categories: REPRINTS|Tags: Columbian Guard, Edmund Rice|0 Comments

Opening Day, Part 13: The Greatest Crowd
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Opening Day, Part 13: The Greatest Crowd

OPENING DAY

Opening Day, Part 13: The Greatest Crowd

The Greatest Crowd This is Part 13 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. They saw a beautiful sight When the Opening Day ceremonies were over, visitors had time to look around the fairgrounds. They saw a beautiful sight: a forest of great buildings decorated with flags, banners, and streamers in artistic designs and harmony [...]

By Scott|2024-02-07T08:33:02-06:00May 4th, 2018|Categories: OPENING DAY|Tags: Administration Building, Columbian Guard, gondolas, Grand Basin, hospital, illumination, Intramural Railway, Jane Addams, Machinery Hall, May 1, Peristyle, Statue of the Republic, U.S. Government Building|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 [...]