Institutional History

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition was a federally funded international event commemorating the centennial anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The exposition was held in 1904 in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. New Jersey's participation in the event was authorized by an act of the state legislature passed 28 March 1902 (Laws of 1902, chap. 55). This law directed the governor to appoint a commission of eleven state residents for the purpose of preparing and managing displays illustrating New Jersey's manufactures, arts, natural and industrial resources, history and progress, and moral and material welfare. The commission was also authorized to construct and furnish a building in St. Louis for the state's use during the period of the exposition.

Three years later, Congress funded another international exhibition--to commemorate the tercentennial anniversary of the landing at Jamestown, Virginia. The Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition was designed as both an "international naval, marine, and military celebration" (funded by Congress), as well as an industrial and historical exhibition (funded by the Virginia General Assembly). The event was held near the waters of Hampton Roads, and continued from May through November 1907. An act of the New Jersey legislature passed 27 March 1905 authorized the Garden State's participation in the exposition (Laws of 1905, chap. 61). Similar to the law creating the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission, this legislation provided for a commission of eleven New Jersey residents responsible for arranging displays illustrating the state's history, development, and moral and material welfare. The act appropriated $25,000 for participation in the event, including the construction and furnishing of a New Jersey state building. Though the commission was not directed in its chartering legislation to re-use exhibits from the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, the Jamestown commission probably recycled the St. Louis displays to some extent. Following the close of the exposition, the state legislature authorized the removal of the New Jersey building in Virginia from the exposition grounds, and its re-erection on the campus of the State Home for Girls in Ewing Township, NJ (Laws of 1908, chap. 268). The building was apparently destroyed by the Department of Corrections circa 1971-72.

Content Note

This series consists of two copies of a joint souvenir photograph album showing the New Jersey buildings and state displays at St. Louis and Hampton Roads. Among the state agencies and topics featured were the State Museum, the State Geological Survey, the Agricultural Experiment Station, "New Jersey Social Economy," and the "New Jersey Road Exhibit." One of the copies was presented by the Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition Commission to Governor Stokes in 1908, and is prefaced by a letter of appreciation to the governor from commission members. Each album contains twenty-nine B&W prints, roughly 7.5" x 9.5".

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