Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Washington World's Fair Commission records, 1890-1894
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Washington (State). World's Fair Commission (1893)
- Title
- Washington World's Fair Commission records
- Dates
- 1890-1894 (inclusive)18901894
- Quantity
- 11.28 cubic feet and 40 reels microfilm (20 boxes, 1 oversize box, 2 oversize ledgers, 20 negative reels of microfilm, and 20 positive reels of microfilm)
- Collection Number
- 4305 (Accession No. 4305-001)
- Summary
- Records of the commission appointed to determine the exhibits in the Washington State Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Public records, but advance notice is required to allow for screening of materials protected from disclosure by law. Please contact Special Collections for more information.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The Washington World's Fair Commission was a commission appointed to determine the exhibits in the Washington State Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. The Washington State Building housed representative resources from Washington State including minerals, timber, fruit, and various manufactured items. The Commission managed the selection of exhibit items and the exhibit construction.
Officers of the Washington World's Fair Commission include Edmond Meany who served as the Press Agent (1890-1892) and Assistant to the Executive Commissioner (1892-1894), Nelson Blalock who served as the President and Executive Commissioner (1892-1893), and George Calhoun who served as Executive Commissioner (1893-1894).
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Washington World's Fair Commission Records (1890-1894) include correspondence; financial records; reports; legal documents; exhibition reports, inventories, and planning materials; meeting minutes; and visitor passes and registers regarding the planning, selection, and establishment of the Washington State Building located at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.
The microfilm reels include reproductions of the collection materials filmed by UW Special Collections staff in 1978.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
The collection materials are reproduced on microfilm. Materials were filmed by UW Special Collections staff in 1978.
Restrictions on Use
Public Records—not subject to copyright. Copying, quotation, publication and other uses are unrestricted if records are open for public release.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
CorrespondenceReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1 | Correspondence regarding the Washington World's Fair
Commission |
1890-1891 |
2 | Correspondence regarding the Washington World's Fair
Commission |
1891 September-1892 February |
3 | Correspondence regarding the Washington World's Fair
Commission |
1892 February-May |
4 | Correspondence regarding the Washington World's Fair
Commission |
1892 June-August |
5 | Correspondence regarding the Washington World's Fair
Commission |
1892 September-December |
6 | Correspondence regarding the Washington World's Fair
Commission |
1893 January-March |
7 | Correspondence regarding the Washington World's Fair
Commission |
1893 March-September |
8 | Correspondence and telegrams regarding the Washington
World's Fair Commission |
1893-1894 |
9 | Edmond Meany's letterpress copybooks Edmond Meany was the Press Agent for the Washington World's Fair
Commission from 1890 to 1892 and the Assistant to the Executive Commissioner
for the Washington World's Fair Commission from 1892 to 1894
|
1890-1892 |
10 | Edmond Meany's letterpress copybook and Nelson Blalock's
letterpress copybook Nelson Blalock was the President and Executive Commissioner of
the Washington World's Fair Commission from 1892 to 1893
|
1892-1894 |
11 | Nelson Blalock's letterpress copybooks |
1892-1893 |
12 | George Calhoun's letterpress copybooks George Calhoun was the Executive Commissioner for the Washington
World's Fair Commission from 1893 to 1894
|
1893-1894 |
Exhibit materialsReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
13 | Correspondence, exhibition reports, financial reports,
receipts, lists of expense vouchers, and financial graphs and
tables |
1890-1894 |
15 | Notebooks Notebooks include a list of Washington World's Fair Commission
committee members and delegates; proceedings of the Washington World's Fair
Commission Executive Committee; a memo book; a time book; a notebook about the
layout of the Washington State Building at the World's Columbian Exposition
including measurements and exhibit plans; agricultural product inventory;
fisheries exhibit inventory; forestry exhibit inventory; fruit exhibit
inventory; and mineral exhibit inventory including information about exhibit
items from Kittitas and Stevens counties
|
1890-1894 |
16 | Correspondence, ephemera, and inventories regarding
exhibits; and report about awards given to Washington exhibits at the
fair |
1890-1894 |
17 | Correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, and
inventories regarding exhibits and planning for the Washington State
Building |
1890-1894 |
19 | Manuscript appendices that include inventories of
exhibit items and narrative descriptions of exhibits Appendices are about the following exhibits: botany,
horticulture, agriculture, forestry, mines and mining, and opinions of
Washington
|
1890-1894 |
21 | Bound inventory of fruit exhibit items |
1890-1894 |
Financial recordsReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
12 | Financial ledger of the Washington World's Fair
Commission's expenses compiled by Samuel Collyer, Treasurer of the Washington
World's Fair Commission |
1893-1894 |
14 | Financial accounts and expense voucher
ledgers |
1891-1893 |
20 | Bound book of Northern Pacific Railroad Company shipping
receipts regarding shipments to and from the World's Columbian Exposition in
Chicago, Illinois |
1892 |
23 | "Record of Distribution of Approved Vouchers"
ledger |
1890-1894 |
Legal recordsReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
16 | Charges, evidence, court brief, witness testimony, and
minutes of the case brought against the Washington World's Fair Commission by
Piece County, Washington about the financial affairs of the
commission |
1890-1894 |
Washington State Building visitor recordsReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
16 | Visitor passes for photographers and workers and regular
visitor pass applications |
1890-1894 |
18 | Washington State Building visitor
applications |
1890-1894 |
19 | Washington State Building visitor registration cards and
list of visitors to the Washington State Building compiled by the Washington
World's Fair Commission |
1890-1894 |
22 | Visitor's registry ledger from the Washington State
Building at the World's Columbian Exposition The visitor's register was used again at the
Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in 1909 in Seattle, Washington.
|
1894 |
PublicityReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
16 | Newspaper advertisements and correspondence regarding
advertisements |
1890-1894 |
20 | Scrapbooks of newspaper articles about the Washington
World's Fair Commission including the legal case |
1890-1894 |
21 | Scrapbook of newspaper articles about the Washington
World's Fair Commission |
1890-1894 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Agricultural exhibitions--Washington (State)--History--Sources
- Exhibitions--Illinois--Chicago--History--Sources
- Fisheries--Washington (State)--Exhibitions--History--Sources
- Forests and forestry--Washington (State)--Exhibitions--History--Sources
- Horticulture--Washington (State)--Exhibitions--History--Sources
- Mines and mineral resources--Washington (State)--Exhibitions--History--Sources
- Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)
Corporate Names
- Washington (State). World's Fair Commission (1893)--Archives
- World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)
Geographical Names
- Washington (State)--Exhibitions--History--Sources
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Blalock, Nelson Gales, 1836-1913 (creator)
- Calhoun, George V (creator)
- Meany, Edmond S. (Edmond Stephen), 1862-1935 (creator)
- Swan, James G., 1818-1900 (creator)
Corporate Names
- Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (1909 : Seattle, Wash.) (creator)