By Jon Nicholson, Local Historian
While combing through the local newspaper archives that have been migrated to digital from microfilm (you can access these for free at the library by the way), I was looking for a lead on something wholly unrelated to a World’s Fair Exposition.  However, what I stumbled across is an interesting story about how a little piece, or many pieces, from Boyle County made it onto the world stage for a number of months in the spring, summer, and fall of 1904.
On March 17, 1904 a reporter from The Danville News, an excellent but sporadically preserved local paper, walked over to the Kentucky School for the Deaf to get the scoop on a display that KSD students had been crafting for the 1904 World’s Fair.
“The writer was invited down to the School for the Deaf yesterday to inspect a display which was being placed in readiness to be shipped to the World’s Fair, where it will be placed in the Educational Exhibit.  It was astonishing to see how many things of genuine worth, many of which were of extraordinary merit that was found displayed there.  The girl’s department…had the most artistic exhibits, embracing all the needle, crochet, embroidery works etc…the Cabinet Makers had several fine walnut chairs, cases, and a writing desk of cherry…mission furniture of fine grade; the lathe work of this department is something surpassing excellent.  The tailor shop had some fine garments that will pass the critic’s eye unblemished.” — The Danville News March 18th, 1904.
That World’s Fair, or the “The Louisiana Purchase Exposition,” was held in the booming city of St. Louis, Missouri.  Our home and neighboring state of Kentucky intended to be well represented with a large palatial Kentucky themed pavilion known as “The New Kentucky Home” to accompany 16 other displays featured throughout the fair.  The KSD exhibit was destined for the “Hall of Education” with a focus on the quality of goods produced by the students.  The smaller pieces by the KSD students filled five large display cases, one each for the dressmaking, printing, woodworking, tailoring, and shoemaking departments.  This hand craft industry was part of a nationwide focus on “manual departments” as part of the educational experience.  Simultaneously the Arts and Crafts movement was gaining momentum throughout the country with a focus on a return to handcrafted items and a rejection of cheap mass production.
One last bit of information, the General Assembly waited until January 27th, 1904 to fund Kentucky exhibitors and the KSD exhibit was being loaded for shipment on March 17th, 1904.  That means that in under two months the students and teachers at KSD created a highly respected exhibit that was on display to over 20 million visitors from around the world!