Following the end of the American Civil War, Americans began to prepare for the celebration of the nation's 100th birthday in 1876.
The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the US, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for a period of six months, from May 10 to November 10, 1876.
At a cost of more than $11 million, the fair was a complete financial failure. Many of these expositions were a financial disaster, and as one researcher into the mystery of the world fairs noted; Quite a few Fairs were enormous monetary losses. This is astonishing in that the initial motivation for the exhibitions supposedly came from the industrialists themselves. The investment deficits could indicate that the Fairs had a hidden agenda that was not profit-oriented. The 450 acre Fairmount Park in which the 1876 Exhibition was held, was enclosed within a 9 feet high wood-panel fence which ran for nearly three miles. In the midst of water features, lagoons and canals, the footpaths and drives within the grounds stretched for seven miles, while five and a half miles of narrow-gauge steam operated rail-way, surrounded and intersected them. More than 200 buildings were constructed within the Exposition's grounds, of which the organizers said; “The general verdict of all who saw them is that they were faultless in design and perfect in construction”. (City of Philadelphia, Records Department, City Archives, RG 230.) Then one by one the buildings, both large and small that dotted the landscape disappeared. The majority of the smaller buildings, were in all likelihood not built to last, being constructed using a wooden framework, complimented with bricks, concrete and plaster. Not so with the massive, glorious and totally breath-taking main buildings. There were five main buildings in the exposition, the largest being the alleged temporary structure, the Main Exhibition Building. At the time it was the largest building in the world by area, enclosing 21.5 acres. It measured 464 feet in width and 1,880feet in length. (Philadelphia: A 300-Year History, p. 462.) Yet while it's claimed this amazing building was only erected as a temporary structure, according to Wikipedia; The flooring of the building was made of wooden planks that rested directly on the ground without any air space underneath them. Seriously? No solid foundations? Just thousands of wooden planks laid out on the ground? Please bear this absurd claim in mind as you check out this 1878 engraving of the Main Exhibition Building (from Earl Shinn, Walter Smith & Joseph M. Wilson.) It was constructed, or so we're told, using prefabricated parts with a wood and iron frame resting on a substructure of 672 stone piers. Wrought iron roof trusses were supported by the columns of the superstructure. Columns were placed at a uniform distance of 24 feet and the entire structure consisted of 672 columns, the shortest column being 23feet in length and the longest 125feet in length. The structure of the building featured a central avenue with a series of parallel sheds that were 120 feet wide, 1,832 feet long, and 75 feet high. On both sides of the nave were avenues 100 feet in width and 1,832 feet in length. Aisles 48 feet wide were located between the nave and the side avenues, and smaller aisles 24 feet in width were on the outer sides of the building. The exterior of the building featured four towers, each being 75 feet high, at each of the building's corners. Each tower had small balconies set at different heights that served as observation galleries. (Credit:Wikipedia.) Can you even begin to imagine the overall weight of this colossal building, and the sheer volume of stress endured by the wooden planks supporting it? Does it even sound feasible? Furthermore, we are told the entire building took just eighteen months to complete. This is obviously not the case, for when you study the available pictures, there appears to be nothing ''temporary'' whatsoever about this beautiful, oversized building. One is left with little doubt that whoever built it, it was built to last, maybe even for centuries. Even if such were the case, it would be an impossible feat to construct this massive building, even on a temporary basis within a mere 18 months. Nevertheless, five years later, the building was demolished in 1881. The other main buildings were equally impressive, each in its own way. The Machinery Hall was the second largest structure,which in this case, didn't rely on thousands of wooden planks to support it. Rather, it rested on a foundation of massive masonry. With a superstructure made of wood and glass ( so we're told) the main hall was 1,402 feet long and 360 feet wide, with a wing of 208 feet by 210 feet attached on the south side of the building. The length of the building was 18 times its height, and with eight separate entrances, it occupied 558,440 square feet (12.8 acres). In the next breath, we're told this huge and impressive building took a mere six months to construct. Unbelievable! The Machinery Hall was demolished the following year in 1877. Hardly surprising I guess, considering it only took six months to construct. According to Wikipedia, the third-largest structure at the exposition was the Agricultural Hall. The building was 820 feet long and 540 feet wide. Made of wood and glass, the structure was designed to look like various barn structures pieced together. This short description however, doesn't do any justice whatsoever, to the impressive neo-Gothic architecture of the building we see in the photos and sketches. Rather than being made of wood and glass, as the official narrative states, every image or painting I've come across, indicates this vast building with its 10 individual towers, was largely constructed with brick and stone. Thus far, and having checked multiple sources, I've been unable to find the date when this magnificent structure was demolished. The Horticultural Hall, which was designed in the Moorish style, had an iron and glass frame on a brick and marble foundation and was 193 feet long, 38 feet wide and 68feet tall. Unlike the other main buildings, we're told the massive Horticultural Hall was meant to be permanent. Was it merely a coincidence that after the Exposition had ended, the only main building which was meant to be permanent, fell into disrepair and was closed down? Yes, I guess so, but only if you believe in coincidence. In 1954, the building was severely damaged by Hurricane Hazel, and was subsequently demolished. (The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 18, 2022.) Now, what do they say about an ill wind? Of all the exhibition's main buildings, the jewel in the crown was the Art Gallery Building, now known as the Memorial Hall, and is one of only two of the original 200 buildings which was not torn down. The other being the traditional-style Swedish Cottage, which was later re-erected in Central Park, New York. Built on a massive 1.5-acre site, the Memorial Hall was constructed with brick, glass, iron, and granite in the beaux-arts style, with a 150-foot dome atop a 59-foot-high structure. The central domed area is surrounded by four elegant pavilions on the corners, with open arcades to the east and west of the main entrance. After the exposition, the Memorial Hall reopened in 1877 as the Pennsylvania Museum of Art. One final thought; over the six months the fair was open to the public, it was attended by nearly 10 million people, according to organizers. That amounts to well in excess of 1.5 million visitors per month, or roughly 375,000 visitors per week. Personally, I find it hard to believe that in 1876 (ten years before the first motorized vehicle) one million more people travelled to this exhibition than the approximate nine million folk who visit Disney Land, California, in a six month period today. Especially when taking into account our modern-day network of fast travel motorways, high speed train service, and regular internal and international air-flights. I'm not suggesting the Centennial Exhibition didn't take place, but like all the World Fairs, there remains an air of mystery surrounding it, for there is so much that makes little sense. Why spend millions of dollars erecting these excessive, resplendent buildings if only to destroy them a few years later? I encourage everyone to check out the images of these magnificent structures, for there doesn't appear to be anything temporary about them. On the contrary, they seem to be built to last, and even the organizers said; “The general verdict of all who saw them is that they were faultless in design and perfect in construction”. When taking a closer look at some of the photos of supposedly brand new buildings however, some of them seem to show the process of ageing and weather erosion. Certainly not what one would expect to see in a brand new structure. For if the official story is coherent, temporary or not, shouldn't all of these buildings have looked brand new? I suspect the majority of these buildings already existed, but were located on privately owned land, which was cordoned off, but later opened to the public, and utilized to host the grand, no expense spared, World Fairs. Hard to get one's head around, but once again such lavish extravagance, followed by wanton acts of destruction suggests a certain group of people had an agenda, or reason for doing so. Yet another case of restoring these marvellous structures which were left behind by the unknown builders. Once completely renovated, they were used to showcase the new advances in manufacturing, science, art and technology to the public as part of the transition into the new world. Having served their purpose, and put on display to a gullible public for one last time, one by one, these magnificent old world structures were demolished. • Writes American art historian, Russel Lynes in his 1954 book, 'The Tastemakers'; Critics today look back upon the Centennial Exhibition as an architectural and artistic calamity that produced not a single new idea but was, rather, the epitome of accumulated bad taste of the era that was called the Gilded Age, the Tragic Era, the Dreadful Decade, or the Pragmatic Acquiescence, depending on which epithet you thought most searing. The highly elaborate, extravagant and supposedly temporary lobbies palaces, pavilions, statues, halls, water features and other facades built during a time of economic depression for the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century World's Fairs raises serious questions. In fact, the very statement "temporary building" being attached to these buildings should set an alarm bell ringing. Why build them in the first place, if only to demolish them at a later date? Or did they already exist as old world structures, and were merely renovated to serve a temporary purpose? Once completed, let's say a final goodbye to yet another trace of the old world? The very notion that anyone in the western world with half a brain, would erect such a large number of temporary Greco-Roman style complexes, majestically adorned with fluted, 'fake' marble columns, vaulted roofs complete with antennae, towers, buttresses, ornate fake-gold domes, and display them to the public for a limited time before tearing them down, just doesn't sit right somehow. Each structure we're told, consisted of a wooden framework which was covered and bulked out with cement, plaster of Paris, jute fibre and straw, as was allegedly the case with the 200 plus, temporary buildings at the 1893 Columbian Exposition, aka the World's Fair in Chicago. Photographs of these supposedly temporary buildings raise a number of questions. Especially when having served their purpose, these magnificent structures were greeted by the giant wrecking ball. Below is a screenshot from Lost History of the Flat Earth, of the Administration Building and Grand Court. Does it look like a temporary building with a wooden framework, disguised with a lick of white paint and other structural cosmetics to you?
The White City Erected so we're told, upon 690 acres of reclaimed swampland and dubbed the 'White City', visitors at the Chicago World Fair were not permitted to take personal snapshots and very few photographs of its actual construction can be found. In a number of cases it could even be argued that many of these were actually end of life photographs, which were taken during the demolition process, rather than during their construction. There were fourteen main "great buildings", each centred around a series of tumbling cascades, water fountains, and a giant reflective pool called the Grand Basin. An official collection of stunning photographs revealing their grandeur can be found on the Internet, which were taken before the White City was demolished within just a few decades of its construction. I've never worked in the construction industry, but temporary or not, good old fashioned common sense tells me that structures this size require huge foundations, especially when erected right next to the water. It appears there is no consistent or reliable information answering such questions in any of the literature. The Manufacturer's and Liberal Arts Building for example, was the largest of the Chicago Word Fair's great buildings. At 1,687 feet long and 787 feet wide, it required twice as much steel as the Brooklyn Bridge. The building's total floor space was the equivalent of 23 football fields and contained over 44 acres of exhibit space. The height of the roof truss over the central line was two hundred and twelve feet nine inches, and its span three hundred and fifty-four feet in the clear. (Credit:Wikipedia.) The following year, on January 8, 1894, the Manufactures and Liberal Arts buildings along with the magnificent Peristyle and Quadriga burned to the ground, leaving only the twisted, underlying framework. High up on the pedestal supporting the Quadriga was the Biblical inscription, the word of Jesus; Ye Shall Know the Truth, and the Truth Shall Make You Free. The 'truth' according to the official narrative that we're expected to believe without question however, is far more likely to bring bondage than freedom. In which case, only by asking the right questions can freedom be attained. For knowledge begins with asking questions, especially the right ones. The Louisiana Purchase Exposition 1904 From April 30 to December 1, 1904, the St. Louis World's Fair was held on a 1,200-acre site, and was the largest fair (in area) to date. The Exposition boasted of over 1,500 buildings, connected by some 75 miles of roads and walkways. The vast Palace of Agriculture alone covered some 20 acres. It was said to be impossible to give even a hurried glance at everything in less than a week. Wikipedia inform us that: One of the most popular attractions of the Exposition was contained in the Palace of Transportation: automobiles and motor cars. The automobile display contained 140 models including ones powered by gasoline, steam, and electricity. The private automobile first made its public debut at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. Four years after the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the Ford Motor Company began producing the Ford Model T making the personal automobile more affordable. As with the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, we're told that all but one of the St. Louis World Fair's grand, neoclassical exhibition palaces, were temporary structures, designed to last but a year or two. They were built, so we're told, with a material called "staff," a mixture of plaster of Paris and hemp fibres, on a wooden framework. I haven't a clue as to how they achieved such ornate detail by using plaster of Paris and hemp, which, by the way, would be very porous and absorb any water it came into contact with. A good down pour or two would cause the plaster to dissolve. Once again, when looking through the available photographs, there just doesn't appear to be anything temporary about them. In fact it was not just the glorious structures above ground. A number of the buildings had a network of underground waterways. The massive Creation Hall for example, where “fairgoers travelled by boat through a labyrinth of underground passages to a roomy cavern, where they were diverted by illusions in the form of living heads that have no bodies to support them.” (St. Louis Public Library Digital Collections.) Why anyone would want to invest so much time, effort and money into building a temporary underground waterway system, is hard to fathom. Likewise, who in their right mind would build basements under the ground for a temporary exhibition? No wonder photos are hard to come by. The existence of these huge buildings of such finery and grandeur is not in dispute. The question is, who built them? And when? Were these buildings, which we are told were erected on a temporary basis, actually permanent old world structures, which had been inherited by the controllers? Photographs of various buildings surrounded by scaffolding, and supposedly under construction, are not actual evidence for construction. For they could equally have been taken as the buildings were being refurbished, or even during the final demolition process. Apart from this, how was it possible to construct 1500 buildings and prepare over 75 miles of road, in approximately two and a half years?Only to be destroyed 9 months later. After the fair closed, nearly all of its structures were demolished within a short time, leaving only a few footprints, ponds, and canals in Forest Park in St. Louis. It appears that the Expo 'organizers' plan always was to completely destroy everything after the exhibitions ended. However this often resulted in a public outcry, meaning that at least some of these structures were preserved. A word to the wise Bearing in mind that the primary meaning of the word Exposition is; “A statement that explains something clearly,”maybe Helen Keller tried to convey a message; a word to the wise. For the author and disability rights activist gave a lecture in the main auditorium at the St. Louis World Fair, in which she said; “People do not like to think. If one thinks, one must reach conclusions. Conclusions are not always pleasant.” For when folk actually do take the time to stop to think, there is really only one conclusion. All that we see and all that we're told about these world fairs is an elaborate impossibility. It's all utter nonsense. Don't be fobbed off by those who say “trust the science and those in authority and don't ask questions.” Look where that's got us today. The world we currently live in, is a direct result of these mysterious world expositions. For the World Fairs held in the mid nineteenth century were essentially a period of transition into the age of Alternating Current and the internal combustion engine, both controlled by the new elite aka the Robber Barons. A classic example of this and quite an eye opener, can be seen in the early black and white films on YouTube such as; ''A Trip Through Paris in the late 1890s''. Against a backdrop of magnificent architecture we see pedestrians, bicycles, the horse and carriage, the horse-drawn fire engine, and the early motorized vehicle. Then lo and behold; we see the less energetic pedestrians taking life easy, as they hop aboard to join the crowd being carried along by the electric powered, moving pavement. The transition phase from the old world into the modern day era, caught on celluloid film. This is emphasized by the massive, and regal old world buildings, towering high in the background. In fact, we see a society largely dominated by Christian ethics, but without the ability to construct these huge and magnificent buildings surrounding them. Like most of the earliest black and white footage of cities, at times it appears these people were picking up, from where a previous people left off. Far more could be written about the World Fairs, and all the other strange goings on during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. But hopefully I've covered enough to encourage you the reader, to pause for a while, and think. Especially if you have never considered the hidden history aspect of the world that we live in. Having considered in part, just how much of world history has been manipulated by the controllers, it's time to ask serious questions. For it would almost seem that the controllers don't want us to know about certain events of the past. Nor the actual age we reside in. Writes former Czech exile, Milan Kundera, on the back cover of The Book of Laughter and Forgetting (May, 1996.) The first step in liquidating a people is to erase its memory. Destroy its books, its culture, its history. Then have someone write new books, manufacture a new culture, invent a new history. Before long the nation will begin to forget what it is and what it was.
