In 1884-85, the World's Fair was held in New Orleans. About a third of all cotton produced in the U.S. was handled in New Orleans and it was, also, home to the Cotton Exchange. |
The Liberty Bell Comes to Town |
The Liberty Bell and its guards, New Orleans, 1885. |
For that reason, the fair was called The World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition ("centennial" referring to the earliest record of export of cotton from the U.S. in 1784). |
New Orleans marked another centennial in 1984, when the city hosted a second World's Fair, this one located on the Riverfront in the Central Business District. Audubon Park and Audubon Zoo now occupy the site of the 1884 fair. |
Beginning with the New Orleans World's Fair, the Liberty Bell made 7 trips to various expositions in the U.S., until 1915, when it was decided that it would travel no more. |
The Cotton Centennial covered 249 acres and was illuminated with an astounding 5,000 electric lights, at a time when there were only about 500 electric lights in the whole city. |
The link to this page is: http://old-new-orleans.com/NO_Liberty_Bell.html |
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