Meet Me At the Fair

November 12, 2012

While most of the books at MGC give us an abundance of information on births, deaths, deeds, wills, cemeteries etc., some give us a look into the celebrations in towns, city, or county events. I was excited when I saw one of our new acquisitions: Remembering the St. Louis World’s Fair by Margaret Witherspoon. Even though I have lived in Independence more than 35 years, when anyone asks me where I am from, I automatically say St. Louis. However, I explain that while I actually live in Independence, my heart still resides in St. Louis. I grew up within a few blocks of the area where the fair took place (modern day Forest Park).

The 1904 Fair was held to commemorate the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase. This book is full of pictures, drawings, and stories from those magical months. Ice cream cone, popsicles, hot dogs, and iced tea were introduced at the fair. This book is a look into that splendid, nine month event.

If you have relatives who lived in St. Louis during the early 1900s, this is definitely worth a look to fire up your imagination. My father, born in 1896, attended the fair as a young boy. He said it was the most magnificent event he had ever experienced! As Judy Garland says at the end of the movie, Meet Me in St. Louis, "There's never been anything like it in the whole world...and it’s right here in St. Louis!"

Watch for my St. Louis research class next June!

Suzanne V.
Midwest Genealogy Center