By William “Skip” Deegans
Shown in this 1904 photo is the remarkably ornate West Virginia State Building that was built for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (aka World’s Fair) in St. Louis, Missouri.
The exhibition commemorated the Louisiana Purchase that nearly doubled the size of the United States. The 76’ x 76’ building was designed by Wheeling architects, Geisey & Ferris, and cost $20,000. Among the purposes of West Virginia’s exhibit was to promote its oil, coal, and timber industries.
When the exhibition opened in 1904, the press described it as “more colossal and more stupendous” than the Chicago World’s Fair. There were 30 state buildings and 24 foreign buildings on 1,240 acres. Under armed guard, the Liberty Bell was transported by train to be exhibited in the Pennsylvania building. On opening day, April 20, 150,000 people attended. At the conclusion of the exhibition, all the buildings were destroyed. Some elements of the West Virginia building were salvaged and can be seen in a private home in Oakland, Missouri. Also, some of the lumber from the buildings were used by Italian immigrants to build houses in St. Louis.
In a handbook distributed at the West Virginia State Building, Virgil Lewis, former school superintendent wrote, “Let West Virginia exhibit her people to the world and let them see what the world can teach – for the world is at St. Louis. In this gathering from all lands of every kindred and tongue in which all are so wondrously alike and yet so marvelously unlike, West Virginia does not suffer by comparison.”
Photo from Handbook of West Virginia.
Sources: Handbook of West Virginia, The Daily Telegram, Sisterville Oil Review, Hinton Daily News, The Fairmont West Virginia.