The Columbian Exposition in 1893

 

Georgetown has another connection to The White City, the Columbian Exposition of 1893.  In addition to the entry pass for 9 Oct 1893 (designated Chicago Day), the Columbian Liberty Bell manufactured by Clinton H Meneely Bell Co, Troy, NY in 1893 has a Georgetown connection.  The bell was on view at Union Station in Pittsburgh on 31 Aug 1893.

The inscriptions on the bell are detailed in the attached images.  One of the relics used to construct the bell was a shell fired into the str Silver Wave, the first civilian packet to successfully pass the Vicksburg batteries during the Civil War.  The str Silver Wave was owned and operated by Capt John Smith McMillin of Georgetown.

Columbian Exposition Liberty Bell ( The Pittsburgh Daily Post, p6)

 

 

 

Columbian Exposition Liberty Bell (The Pittsburgh Daily post, 6cont)

 

Other relics used in the composition of the bell were the keys of the residence of Jefferson Davis, 250K pennies donated by public school children, and souvenirs from battlefields where struggles for freedom took place.      

The Columbian Exhibition was a fitting and glamorous way to enter into the coming Twentieth Century.

 

 

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