The 1904 World’s Fair Society has monthly membership meetings with programs on various topics relating to the Fair.
It has always been a tradition of the organization to have a meeting near the end of April to celebrate “opening day”, (the day the fair opened, April 30th,1904), and to have a “closing day” banquet in December (the day the fair closed, December 1st, 1904) .
Most meetings have a drawing for an attendance prize for members attending the meeting. You may register every time you attend a meeting at the reception table near the door. Attending more meetings will give you more opportunities to win. Attendance prizes will vary. Often they will match the subject of the meeting. You must be present to win.
The meetings are always well attended with people very knowledgeable about the fair. Please feel free to attend and ask questions. Visitors are always welcome.
Newly discovered and restored Works of Art from the Fair January 12, 2026 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm - What’s a Jardiniere? What’s its purpose? What’s it made of? Was there a Jardiniere at the Fair? Who made it? Jerusalem in Saint Louis? Holy Monuments at the World’s Fair February 9, 2026 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm - “The most gigantic example of an open air display at St. Louis is the reproduction of the Holy City ... happily suggestive of the Palestine original ...Three hundred structures of varying sizes and appearance are separated by twenty-two streets ... encompassed ... by a wall of the same height and aged stone as the one in the Holy Land.”
University City Public Library, 6701 Delmar Blvd, University City, MO 63130, USA
- We open 2026 (our 40th year!) with a very special, new meeting from Rodney Wilson. It will be the premiere of the viewing and St. Louis exhibit of two pieces of art from the 1904 World’s Fair. Two jardinieres were exhibited at the Fair, and afterwards, were moved about 80 miles south of St. Louis. A jardiniere is a large planter; these are “tub-shaped.”
- They were forgotten for decades, rediscovered around 1990, and have been restored. The mystery what these items were, and their maker has now been fully researched, and will amaze you.
- Rodney Wilson is a history professor and instructor at Mineral Area College in Park Hills, Missouri. He has researched the history of southern Missouri, and also documented the detailed background, production, display, and history of these unique art pieces from Germany that came to Missouri.
University City Public Library, 6701 Delmar Blvd, University City, MO 63130, USA
- This quotation from journalist Thomas MacMechen describes the Jerusalem Exhibit at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, which reproduced the ancient holy city in near-actual scale. This program will present the first phases of investigation to ascertain the placement and layout of the Jerusalem exhibit’s buildings, decorative details, plan, and geography.
- Cathleen A. Fleck, Ph.D., is a Professor and Director at the School of Visual Studies, University of Missouri, Columbia.