The Appalachian Exposition, also known as the Appalachian Exhibition, was an event held in 1910 and 1911 in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state ...

's on property (now

Chilhowee Park Chilhowee Park is a public park, fairgrounds and exhibition venue in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, located off Magnolia Avenue in East Knoxville. Developed in the late 19th century, the park is home to the Tennessee Valley Fair and hosts s ...

) owned by

Knoxville Railway and Light Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

. The park grounds were 65 acres and included two lakes. The exhibitions demonstrated progress in Southern industry. Former president

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

spoke at the 1910 exposition, and president

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

spoke in 1911. The expositions featured a large exhibit hall designed by architect John R. Graf, a

Tennessee marble Tennessee marble is a type of crystalline limestone found only in East Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Long esteemed by architects and builders for its pinkish-gray color and the ease with which it is polished, this stone has been u ...

bandstand designed by architect R. F. Graf, and a building constructed by

Knoxville College Knoxville College is a historically black liberal arts college in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, which was founded in 1875 by the United Presbyterian Church of North America. It is a United Negro College Fund member school. A slow per ...

students to exhibit the city's African American history. The expositions saw the first

airplane An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spe ...

and

zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, ...

flights in East Tennessee, and helped boost the careers of local artists

Lloyd Branson Enoch Lloyd Branson (1853–1925) was an American artist best known for his portraits of Southern politicians and depictions of early East Tennessee history. One of the most influential figures in Knoxville's early art circles, Branson rec ...

and Catherine Wiley.

1910 exposition

William J. Oliver William J. Oliver, (?1774–1827) also known as Oliver the Spy, W. J. Richards and W. O. Jones, was a police informer and supposed ''agent provocateur'' at a time of social unrest, immediately after the Napoleonic Wars. The Luddite protests of ...

was the exposition's president in 1910.

Sara Ward Conley Sara Ward Conley (December 21, 1859 – May 6, 1944) was an American artist from Nashville, Tennessee. Early life Sara Ward Conley was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on December 21, 1859, the daughter of William Eldred Ward and Amanda Eliza Hud ...

loaned historical materials to be exhibited. R. F. Graf designed the Bandstand and the Liberal Arts Building for the Appalachian Exposition.Plaque at the Chilhowee Park Bandstand, Knoxville, Tennessee.East Tennessee Historical Society, Lucile Deaderick (ed.), ''Heart of the Valley: A History of Knoxville, Tennessee'' (Knoxville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Historical Society, 1976), p. 49. In 1910 Cal Johnson cut down the lone tree at his racetrack to allow a plane to land for the Exposition.Jack Neely, ''Knoxville's Secret History'' (Scruffy Books, 1995), pp. 73-76. The artwork of Catherine Wiley was honored at the exhibition. Bertha E. Perrie earned a silver medal,

Joseph Knaffl Joseph Knaffl (October 9, 1861 – March 23, 1938) was an American art and portrait photographer, active in Knoxville, Tennessee, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for his 1899 portrait, "Knaffl Madonna," which has be ...

exhibited work,

's "Hauling Marble" won a gold medal as did Ella Sophonisba Hergesheimer.

William Posey Silva William Posey Silva (1859–1948) was an early 20th century American painter noted for atmospheric landscapes painted in a lyrical impressionist style. His work is associated with the Charleston Renaissance and with the art colony in Carmel, Ca ...

also displayed work.

1911 exposition

In 1911, over $35,000 dollars were spent by the Appalachian Exposition Association on providing free attractions for the exhibition. In the center of the exhibition grounds, there was a

grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap al ...

made of Tennessee marble. The main attractions were the mineral and forest exhibits. Some of the activities held included guest speakers, horse racing, flight performances, and a "Nashville Day."

Lawrence Tyson Lawrence Davis Tyson (July 4, 1861August 24, 1929) was an American general, politician and textile manufacturer, operating primarily out of Knoxville, Tennessee, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As s btigadier general, he commanded ...

served as president of the 1911 Exposition. Jane Franklin Hommel served as chair of the Women's Congress of the Appalachian Exposition in 1911.

Legacy and aftermath

The

National Conservation Exposition The National Conservation Exposition was an exposition held in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, between September 1, 1913 and November 1, 1913. The exposition celebrated the cause of bringing national attention to conservation activities, esp ...

succeeded the Expositions in 1913 and a few years later the predecessor to the Tennessee Valley Fair followed with an annual event. The

East Tennessee Historical Society The East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS), headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study of East Tennessee history, the preservation of historically significant artifacts, and educating ...

's Museum of East Tennessee History has memorabilia from the event.

References

{{Reflist History of Knoxville, Tennessee 1910 in Tennessee 1911 in Tennessee Festivals established in 1910 Fairs in Tennessee