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)
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

Arrangement

Materials are arranged by material type.

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)