Final Report of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission

by Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission

The results obtained from the exploitation are shown in the large number of grand prizes, gold, silver, and bronze medals awarded to the State. The State building received a gold medal. The Wisconsin building was erected at a cost of only $14,750.

The Wisconsin State Building was located on Commonwealth avenue on the brow of the hill above the United States bird exhibit. The building was original in conception. The design of the building was what is known as the "English cottage." It was a departure from the ordinary semiclassic style of architecture prevalent in the exposition buildings. It gave the impression that it was designed for the spot on which it was located, and it fitted in the slope of the hillside and between the giant forest trees as if it were a part of nature's plan. The structure with its plastered walls and red gable roofs, amid the green foliage, was a welcome relief from the general massive architecture of the surrounding buildings.

The building proper was 30 feet from the street. The semicourt was flanked on the north and south by long and wide verandas and a veranda extended across the front of the cottage. The semicourt was a profusion of flowers and shrubbery. The keynote of the building was rest and comfort. The decorative and color schemes were restful and quiet and harmonious. The wainscoting and the grand staircase were finished in Flemish oak, and the furniture was the "mission style," which harmonized with the woodwork. Indian blankets in rich dull reds and blues hung from the railing of the wall, which emphasized the "mission" effect.

The second floor was devoted to the sleeping apartments of the hostess and the board of managers and the governor's suite. The furnishings were of mahogany. In the basement were the dining room, kitchen, and storerooms.

The personnel of the board of managers of the State of Wisconsin was as follows:

W.D. Hoard, president; A.J. Lindemann, vice-president; Grant Thomas, secretary; S.A. Cook, treasurer; W.H. Flett, William A. Scott, Mrs. Lucy E. Morris, Mrs. Theodora Youmans; Mrs. Emma I. Walsh, hostess.

In the Palace of Education and Social Economy a comprehensive display of the highly organized school system of the State of Wisconsin was arranged; in the Palace of Agriculture a fine collection of the agricultural and dairy products of the State, also the exhibit of the Agricultural College; in the Palace of Horticulture a superb display of the fruit; in the Palace of Mines and Metallurgy an interesting exhibit of the mineral wealth; in the Palace of Forestry, Fish, and Game a display of the commercial woods, and throughout the fall prize-winning herds of cattle, sheep, horses, and other live stock were on show at the live stock display grounds. The educational exhibit in the Palace of Education was illustrative of the progress of Wisconsin's schools. The exhibit embraced the kindergarten, graded schools, high schools, manual training schools, optional study of the German language, public library, the public museum in its connection with the schools, school for the deaf, agricultural school, and barracks or portable schoolhouses for use in the crowded districts of the city. The three free schools of agriculture and domestic economy, located at Madison in connection with the State University, and at Menominee, and Wassau were especially noteworthy. The two latter are distinctly training schools in agriculture and domestic economy, and are the only schools of their kind in the United States.

The public schools of Milwaukee made a separate display. The furnishings of the entire exhibit, except the cabinets, were made by the pupils of the high school manual training department.

A unique feature of modern school work was illustrated by the application of the graphophone in the instruction of the children, and illustrations of the results obtained. Unique among the records were those on which had been impressed the voices and declamations of children who have been taught to speak at the public school for the deaf.

The Milwaukee public school exhibit embraced the entire school system, from the enrollment of the student in the kindergarten to the graduation by the high school, the salaries of the teachers, and the financial statement of the school board.