A friendly hello to the members of the Retro York group on Facebook! They very kindly welcomed me and took great interest in last week's post about York House.
This week's quest brings us back to Philadelphia, for the second marker that I collected on my last visit. I'll admit this one had me scratching my head a little bit, because I'd never heard of either the organization in question nor the event they operated. But then again, I'm here to learn and then share what I learn.
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| The marker stands in Logan Circle Park on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, opposite the Academy of Natural Sciences |
So to start, we need to understand what the U.S. Sanitary Commission was, as it no longer exists. And with good reason - it was created specifically to help sick and wounded soldiers of the Civil War, and we don't have any of those anymore. It was inspired by the British Sanitary Commission, which provided similar aid to soldiers during the Crimean War, and was formed in June 1861 as a means of supporting the Union army.
The Commission was based in the United States Treasury Building in Washington, D.C., and among other things, it provided inspectors who were sent out to examine the regimental camps of the army. In the first six months alone, it became clear just how bad things were going to be and how hard they were going to have to work to keep the soldiers as healthy as they could. Camps began making requests of the Commission starting just after the First Battle of Bull Run, in July 1861; they were asked to provide the soldiers with things like flowers, hospital gowns, supplies for writing home to their families, and minor amusements such as dominoes and checkers sets.
As the war continued, the Commission established hospitals and special lodges or rest homes where soldiers could recover. Naturally, funding all of this required a lot of effort, and among the projects spearheaded to bring in the necessary money was a series of what were called "sanitary fairs." To me this sounds like something we'd have been forced to attend in middle school, to learn about hygiene and playground safety and things like that. The actual sanitary fairs were considerably more interesting, with things like parades, live music, speeches from elected officials, and demonstrations by civic organizations. The actual content of a fair varied by location. The first such fair was called the "Mammoth Fair" and was held in Lowell, Massachusetts, in February 1863. Other cities quickly adapted the plan for their own uses, with some displaying art, items of Americana, farm produce, and local historical artifacts. (Definitely more interesting than anything we had in middle school.)
The fair complex resembled two round tents, surrounded on all sides by corridors. In the corridor along Vine Street were displayed art and photographs; along Eighteenth Street were exhibits featuring the history and geography of neighboring states Delaware and New Jersey. Along Logan Street, visitors could view carriages (including one which had belonged to George Washington), engines, and "the Penn Parlor," which was filled with artifacts related to William Penn's family. The 'children's department' filled the entire corridor along Race Street, to the south of the complex. The central corridor, which bisected the whole thing along Union Avenue, had a variety of exhibitions from the fire department, various benevolent institutions, and other curiosities. The northern round tent was home to horticultural displays, including a charming bridge across a fish pond, while the southern round section served as a large restaurant for the hungry attendees. There were also sections devoted to arms and trophies, sewing machines, and historical relics. The whole thing measured about 200,000 square feet, and was compared to a cathedral by Charles Stillé, who reported on the event to the Commission.
The fair had multiple entrances, and it looks as though admission was 25 cents, judging by one of those stereographs. It may be that the different 'departments' each had their own admission fee; it's not entirely clear and I can't find any confirmation. The whole thing kicked off on June 7, 1864, and was a lavish spectacle. Star-spangled bunting hung from every ceiling and adorned most tables; the servers in the restaurant were elegantly attired; and polished wooden benches lined several of the departments so that people might sit and admire the attractions in comfort. Exchange tokens were struck, special coins bearing George Washington's likeness on one side and the name and date of the fair on the other, and sold as mementos of the occasion.
Considering that President Lincoln had come to Pennsylvania just eight months earlier for a much more somber occasion, to help dedicate the Gettysburg National Cemetery, the fair must have been a welcome change for him. He arrived in Philadelphia on June 16th accompanied by his wife and son, and due to his appearance, admissions prices were doubled for the day; this did nothing to deter the crowds, who massed to get a glimpse of their tall bearded leader. He spoke to the crowd about the Commission; I haven't found any record of his exact words, but as the marker says, he remarked on the important work of the organization and expressed praise for its achievements. As the marker also observes, this was his only official public appearance in the city of Philadelphia.
Lincoln's contribution to the occasion - other than, you know, showing up - was to bring with him 48 copies of the Emancipation Proclamation. He personally autographed each one, and they were sold for the princely sum of $10 apiece. (That would be the equivalent of slightly more than $177 in 2022 money.) According to the website of the Indiana State Museum, only 25 of these still survive today; one of them is in that museum's possession, and is not usually on display, but is brought out strictly for special exhibitions.
The Great Central Fair concluded on June 28th. Through admissions, sales of mementos and goods, and the offerings of the restaurant, it raised a total of over one million dollars. That's one million in 1864 dollars, mind, which is the equivalent of around $18 million today. In fact, by the time the Civil War ended in 1865, Philadelphia was second only to New York City in its fundraising efforts for the Sanitary Commission. The Historical Society of Philadelphia has a collection of ephemera relating to the Great Central Fair, and you can find online auctions selling the exchange tokens from the event. But the great Gothic hallways have long since been torn down, the Sanitary Commission disbanded ten years later, and only the grounds of Logan Circle Park remember the days when Philadelphia - and President Lincoln - turned out to spend coin in support of the Union army.
Sources and Further Reading:
Stillé, Charles J. History of the United States Sanitary Commission, Being the General Report of Its Work During the War of the Rebellion. J. B. Lippincott & Co., Philadelphia, 1866.
Library of Congress. "Great Central Fair Buildings, Philadelphia." James Fuller Queen, artist. P. S. Duval & Sons Lithography, Philadelphia, publisher.
Wisniewski, Linda. "The Great Central Fair of Philadelphia." Inventories of The Library Company of Philadelphia, date unknown.
Bryan, Kerry L. "Civil War Sanitary Fairs." Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 2012.
U.S. Sanitary Commission Great Central Fair at the Historical Marker Database
Except where indicated, all writing and photography on this blog is the intellectual property of Laura Klotz. This blog is written with permission of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. I am not employed by the PHMC. All rights reserved.
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