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.