Throughout the 1880s, Louisville’s Southern Exposition showcased the largest single display of agricultural machinery and technical innovation the country had yet seen, drawing over 1,500 commercial and mercantile exhibits to the city’s Central Park.
Figures like Henry Watterson, Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., A. Bidermann DuPont, and President Chester A. Arthur took part. Former Louisville resident Thomas Edison personally oversaw the installation of his newly invented incandescent light bulb, lighting a record-breaking 4,600 lamps.
Louisville historian Bryan S. Bush offers a detailed look at this landmark event in the city’s history.
Published 2011
128 pages
$21.99
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