Commems Collection Classic: 1910 Ohio Valley Exposition

The 1910 Ohio Valley Exposition and Festival was staged in Cincinnati, Ohio from August 29 through September 24, 1910. Initially, local businessmen discussed the organization of a local celebration to mark the completion/dedication of the Fernbank dam - when completed (in 1911) it was the then-latest piece of a Federal system of Ohio River dams/locks designed to control water levels on the river so that it remained navigable year round for commercial traffic.

The scope was soon expanded, however, to highlight the manufacturing, agricultural and commercial achievements (i.e., products) and potential of the Ohio Valley, as well as the entire South, and to promote better trade relations between the South and Ohio Valley regions. Ultimately, ~20 states were represented at the Exposition, as were several foreign countries. The US Government participated in the Exposition, including setting up a Mint exhibit that struck official souvenir medals.

Local business man, R.R. Reynolds was elected president of the group organizing the Exposition; the "Company" was chartered in 1906. While promoting the Exposition, he stated:

"In planning and arranging this exposition, the business men of Cincinnati are seeking no self-aggrandizement. It is not a Cincinnati exposition. Cincinnati is simply throwing her doors open to the manufacturers, the merchants, the farmers and the producers of the Ohio valley and the South, and is saying: 'Send the best examples your industries here; let us display them for you and bring them to the notice of hundreds of thousands of people who are interested; show the commercial world, through Cincinnati, what you are capable of in an industrial way.'"

Ohio Valley Exposition Poster

(Image Credit: The Cincinnati Industrial Magazine/ July, 1910. Public Domain.

Cincinnati's Music Hall housed most of the Exposition's exhibits, but multiple supporting structures were constructed nearby in Washington Park.

Cincinnati Music Hall / Exposition Hall

(Image Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Public Domain.)

The Exposition featured exhibitors from throughout the Ohio Valley and the South, as well as from California, Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts and New York (among others). In addition to product/manufacturing exhibits, it included historical exhibits, including a working model of the Fernbank Dam, music concerts, stage productions, educational exhibits from Valley factories and farms, a display featuring sea nymphs/mermaids "in Real Water and Ocean Scenery," a three-ring circus staged by "Little People," and (most curious to me) a display of prematurely-born infants being cared for in incubators.

Incubators were a relatively new technology at the time, and multiple Expositions in Europe and the US included exhibits of them (e.g., the 1909 AYPE). From my reading, it appears that infants were actually being treated in the incubators within the Ohio Valley Exposition exhibit. I can't help but wonder if the life of any infant was ever endangered by being on public display vs. in a hospital? I have not read of such an unfortunate event, however, and I should mention that nurses were hired to attend to the infants and incubators.

Though it included a wide range of educational and entertainment exhibits, the Exposition was not intended to be a World's Fair - it did not rise to such a level. It definitely expanded beyond being a local celebration, but effectively remained a US-focused industrial exposition.

Attendance at the Exposition has been reported as ~1 million, including those with free passes. Paid admission to the Exposition was $0.25 for adults and $0.15 for children.

Side Note: What constitutes the Ohio Valley?

The Ohio Valley represents the areas into which the Ohio River drains. This includes areas within the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

As noted above, the US Government exhibit at the Exposition included a US Mint exhibit among its displays. The Mint struck the Exposition's Official Medal within its exhibit and sold them on the spot to those interested. The 34 mm medal was struck in three metal compositions: silver, copper and bronze.

Here's one of my Official Souvenir Medals of the 1910 Ohio Valley Exposition and Festival that was struck by the US Mint:

1910 Ohio Valley Exposition Medal - Bronze



In the foreground, on the obverse, is an allegorical female figure with her right arm extended and holding a floral crown. In the midground is the Ohio River, upon which is seen a paddle-wheel river boat. Mountains are presented in the background. At left, along the rim, is depicted multiple sheaves of wheat and corn.

The reverse design of the medal is largely made up of the multi-line inscription "THE / OHIO VALLEY / EXPOSITION / CINCINNATI / AUGUST / SEPTEMBER / 1910". At left is presented a multi-grain sheaf.


For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more on US Mint Official Exposition Medals, see: Commems Collection.