Exhibits were planned in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, fish and game, mines, and education, and were executed as follows:
In agriculture, exhibits of corn on the stalk, in the ear, and shelled, to the extent of 1,000 bushels; grain in sheaf and threshed; peanuts shelled and unshelled, to the extent of 5,000 pounds; wine, pickles, vegetables, cowpeas, transparencies illustrating agricultural scenes, cotton in bales, etc., tobacco in leaf and manufactured products. A pavilion erected in the Agricultural Building was of Moorish architecture, consisting of one central and eight subsidiary pavilions, connected with corn festoons. Corn, tobacco, peanuts, and sheaf grain entered into the decorations on a blue ground, the effect being harmonious. It was accorded the honor of obtaining one of the four grand prizes awarded in State agricultural exhibits. Tobacco was also used as a special exhibit, and was featured by an Indian maiden standing on a pedestal 23 feet high and holding in her outstretched hand a bundle of tobacco. A miniature log cabin advertised a special brand of tobacco. The horticultural exhibit consisted of an open, three-towered elliptical pavilion and a horn of plenty, apparently pouring apples on a pyramid of natural fruit below. This was made primarily an apple exhibit, more than 800 barrels being used for the purpose. Peaches, melons, pears, cranberries, and other fruits were shown in season.
The forestry, fish, and game exhibit was displayed by the use of sectional disks and boards in the rough, dressed, and polished, and by specimens of fish in natural skins and papier-mache, illustrating the leading food fish of Virginia waters. Mounted animals and a very complete collection of mounted water fowls and game birds were displayed. There was also one of the largest collections of oyster models ever made, illustrating by means of composition replicas in the natural shell of all the leading types of the Virginia oyster.
Transparencies 28 by 30 were used to illustrate forest scenes, while in manufactured goods an interesting display was made. The exhibit booth consisted of a rear façade with brown color scheme, relieved by ornamentation in shells, fish scales, and forest products, the whole forming an immense picture of Hampton Roads executed in colors.
The installation for the mines and metallurgy exhibit was mediaeval in architecture. A castellated gateway, veneered with copper ores, gypsum, and slate was flanked by a balustrade of slate surmounted by onyx balls. In the gateway appeared a coal exhibit, representing King Coal seated on a throne and guarded on either side by gnomes. The windows in the rear were screened with transparencies 28 by 34, illustrating scenery of the State, while the floor space was occupied by pyramids of various ores. The panels of the wall space were framed in coke, in which were displayed, in colors, pictures of the upper works of the mines. Between these panels were arranged upright cases containing ores of gold, silver, lead, iron, asbestos, kaolin, mica, clays, zinc, manganese, talc, etc., while exhibits of marble, rough and sculptured, together with cubes of building stones and mineral waters were displayed. The general color scheme was that of copper and iron pyrites. In these four exhibits Virginia occupied a little less than 10,000 square feet of floor, and her exhibits, both by award and public opinion, were adjudged to be among the best. An award was won by every entry made. During the spring of 1903 the Virginia assembly appropriated $10,000 to be expended by the Commission in the erection of a State building. This sum was augmented by private subscriptions of nearly an equal amount, and an exact replica of Monticello, the home of Jefferson, was erected. In this building, outside of the manual exhibit made in the Education and Social Economy Building, by the Blind, Deaf and Dumb Institute of Stanton, all of Virginia's educational exhibit was displayed It consisted of an exhibit valued at over $10,000, made by the University of Virginia. A comprehensive exhibit was made by the Randolph Macon system, and exhibits were made by Roanoke College Hollins Institute, and a number of other schools. The building, in addition to its social offerings, provided an interesting historical study through its furnishings of articles owned by Jefferson, and was classed among the most satisfactory State buildings of the fair.
WASHINGTON.
In March, 1903, Governor McBride, pursuant to the act of the legislature, appointed the following-named gentlemen members of the Washington State commission for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition:
A.L. Black, Bellingham; Edward C. Cheasty, Seattle; Thomas Harrington,
Buckley; M.E. Hay, Wilbur; G.L. Lindsley, Ridgefield; G.W.R.
Peaslee, Clarkston; R.P. Thomas, Anacortes; W.W. Tolman, Spokane.
At the first meeting of the commission, held in Tacoma April 2, 1903, A.L. Black was elected president of the commission; G.W.R. Peaslee, secretary; and Elmer E. Johnston, of Everett, executive commissioner.
The type of structure selected for the Washington State Building at the St. Louis World's Fair was an unique and attractive one, designed primarily to demonstrate the quality, character, and exceeding dimensions of the State's forestry product. It consisted of eight pieces of fir timber 24 inches square and 110 feet long, placed on end at the points of an octagon 90 feet in diameter at the base, five stories in height, the eight timbers surmounted by an observatory carrying a flag pole 60 feet in length. All the material entering into the construction of the State Building was shipped from the State of Washington, and was donated to the State by the Northwest Lumber Manufacturers' Association. The market value of said material in Washington would be, in round numbers, $8,000. The freight on the material from Washington to St. Louis and the construction of the building amounted to $18,823.10. The unique design and unusual construction features of this building constituted it at the start one of the features of the exposition construction.