Old Louisville

On August 1, 1883, the eyes of the nation turned to Kentucky as thousands crowded the lanes of Louisville's Southern Extension. Tugging a silken cord, Pres. Chester Arthur set the machinery in motion for an event that changed the town forever. Touted at home and abroad as the "100 Days that Louisville Opened Its Doors to the World," the occasion was the inauguration of the Southern Exposition, an early world's fair with a wide variety of mechanical, scientific, and cultural displays showcas...