September 18: The 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition

On this day in 1895, the most ambitious of the Atlanta cotton expositions, The 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition, started in present-day Piedmont Park. The exhibits showcased products and the latest technology in an effort to promote trade between southern states and South American countries.

Several political and business leaders gave speeches during the opening day ceremony, including African American educator Booker T. Washington, who gave the speech that came to be known as the “Atlanta Compromise” speech.

To read more about this event, see the New Georgia Encyclopedia (scroll down to read about The 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition) and GeorgiaInfo (scroll down to 1895).

The Digital Library of Georgia includes many great images from the The 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition, including a layout of the expo grounds from the Sanborn map collection.

Image from the Vanishing Georgia collection in the Digital Library of Georgia