ABSTRACT
Located on the banks of Charleston’s beautiful Ashley River and constructed in less than twelve months, the South Carolina Interstate and West Indian Exposition was the epitome of southern charm and elegance. The exposition, which opened with great fanfare on December 1, 1901, and operated through the end of May of the following year, was planned to showcase South Carolina’s commercial advantages to the entire country and the world. By playing up Charleston’s superior seaport facilities and geographic closeness to the West Indies, exposition planners hoped to foster an increase in trade with their island neighbors to the south. Although the fair was a modest success in drawing attention to the state’s industrial and agricultural base, it failed to attract enough visitors to return a profit to its investors and ended in bankruptcy.
