Ohio Centennial Exposition

              SA Series 1999 AV
Ohio Centennial Exposition
Page 1
OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
State Archives Record Series
SA 1999 AV
Ohio Centennial Exposition
OVERVIEW OF THE SERIES
Series Number: SA 1999 AV
Creating Agency: Ohio Board of Trade
Series Title: Ohio Centennial Exposition
Dates of Series: 1888
Media: Photographs, glass plate negatives
Quantity: 0.61 cubic feet
Location: Ohio Historical Center
AGENCY BACKGROUND
Preparations for the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first settlers arriving in
Marietta, Ohio in 1788 began in 1886. The Ohio Board of Trade appointed a Centennial
Committee to plan the event. The celebration was to be held at the state fairgrounds in
Columbus. Nine new buildings were constructed at the fairgrounds for the occasion:
Manufacture’s Hall, Agriculture Hall, Horticultural Hall, Floral Hall, Hall of Metallurgy,
Commerce and Transportation Hall, Printing and Journalism Hall, Woman’s Department
Building and the Auditorium (which became the Coliseum). The Auditorium was a dome
shaped amphitheater that could seat up to ten thousand people.
On September 4, 1888 the Ohio Centennial Exposition formally opened. The
ceremonies began with a parade of Ohio National Guard troops and members of the
Grand Army of the Republic, an organization for Civil War veterans who served in the
Union Army. The parade was lead by Major General H. A. Axline.
Source:
Lee, Alfred E. History of the City of Columbus. New York and Chicago : Munsell &
Company, 1892.
FUNCTIONS OF THE RECORD SERIES
The series documents the Grand Army of the Public parade, buildings at the State
Fairgrounds and exhibits during the Ohio Centennial Exposition in 1888.