The Filson Historical Society Blog

The Louisville Exposition - A Wondrous View

[From an article written by Kathryn A. Bratcher and published in Volume 4 Number 4 of The Filson Magazine]

An exposition to be held in Louisville was the idea of the Louisville Board of Trade to show the world that Louisville was ready to claim her place in the trade market. The Southern Exposition opened on August 1, 1883. Admission was 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children under twelve, with a 25 cent admission for all on Saturdays. The popularity of the Southern Exposition allowed it to re-open for several years until it ended in 1887.

The Exposition’s main building was a large two-story wooden and glass structure designed by McDonald Brothers and Curtain that covered approximately 12 acres. The building was divided into four large sections that included interior courts with large windows for light, and a fountain in the center of each court. The trade exhibits were featured around the perimeter of the main building.

In addition to the main building there were several outbuildings that featured more curiosities for people to explore. One of them was a large art gallery built in Central Park which held masterpieces from many famous international collections. The Exposition’s agricultural department presented a farm and garden of about 3 acres and identified the trees in Central Park with labels. The police and fire departments for the Exposition were also located in Central Park, and a police substation still exists there today.

View of the Buildings at the Southern Exposition

The use of electricity made the Southern Exposition the first successful nighttime exposition in the country. The exhibition grounds, main building and art gallery were illuminated by electric lights made by the Edison Company of New York. The courts and parks were illuminated by Jenny Company of Fort Wayne, Indiana, which allowed for late afternoon and evening entertainment.

The Filson Historical Society is fortunate to have several rare artifacts and items from the Southern Exposition in its collections.

Norman Kohlhepp

University of Cincinnati Track Team, Normal Kohlhepp Second from the Right

Currently being processed in Special Collections are the papers and photographs of Louisvillian Norman Kohlhepp (1892 – 1986).  Kohlhepp was a multi-talented individual who excelled in the fields of science, art  and education.  A graduate of Louisville’s Manual Training High School, he went on to obtain a degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Cincinnati.   After graduating, he worked for the General Fireproofing Co. in Boston, MA, a manufacturer of steel office furniture.

In 1917, Kohlhepp enlisted in the armed forces and served in the “Reserve Mallet” in World War I – a transport unit that was created as part of the French Army but later became part of the United States Army’s Transport Service.  He also trained other mechanics during his time in France.  Kohlhepp remained in Europe until 1919 when he returned to Camp Taylor and was demobilized from the Army.

Already skilled at mechanical and scientific rendering, in his mid-thirties Kohlhepp began to seriously pursue the fine arts.  During further visits to France, he founded the American Students and Artists Club in Paris, where he met his future wife, Dorothy.  She encouraged his artistic inclinations and Kohlhepp began his studies at the Académie Colarossi and Académie de la Grande Chaumière.   Kohlhepp and his wife also studied with Andre Lhote, the cubist painter.

Kohlhepp whole-heartedly extended his support to the Louisville arts community and was active in the Art Center and the Louisville School of Art.  His work resides in collections at the University of Louisville, The J. B. Speed Art Museum, The National Museum of American Art and the Smithsonian Institution.

The Kohlhepp photo collection contains over 200 negatives and prints, highlighting his time at the University of Cincinnati, the General Fireproofing Co., the war years in France, and his travels abroad in later decades.

The Kohlhepp papers contain correspondence from his parents while he is attending UC,  his senior thesis and supporting articles, and material from his time in the army, including his note books on automotive repair and maps of various sections of France.  The collection also includes financial papers and work correspondence from the 1920s to the 1940s, and a 1983 copy of Beaux Arts features an article about Kohlhepp and his artwork.

Scrapbook of Photographs from the General Fireproofing Co.

The Filson wishes you a Happy Independence Day!

This begins a new feature of The Filson’s Blog. Historical images of buildings or a location from our collection will be juxtaposed with images from that same site today. The site and view might have changed little or it might be entirely different, with a new building, parking lot, etc. now there. Some of the changes might be for the better and in the name of progress; and sometimes the change will be a real loss to our architectural and historical heritage. But either way, the viewer will be able to step back in time and see what the site looked like THEN and what it looks like NOW.

THEN: Mulberry Hill - The Clark Family Home as it appeared ca. 1890

Our first “Then and Now” pairing is related to the founder of Louisville, George Rogers Clark. The famous “Hannibal of the West” founded Louisville in 1778 while on his way farther west to attack British posts in the Illinois Country. Clark made Louisville his home for most of the rest of his life. He believed so strongly in Kentucky being that “Eden of the West” that he persuaded his parents, John and Ann Clark, to move to Louisville from Caroline County, Virginia. With them came their three unmarried daughters (Lucy, Elizabeth, and Fanny) and youngest son William. They settled on a tract of land that George most likely selected for them on the south fork of Beargrass Creek. John Clark christened the estate Mulberry Hill. The nucleus of the Clark plantation was the house, of course. The property, although whittled down through the years) stayed in the Clark family until it was sold to the federal government in 1917 as part of the land acquired for Camp Zachary Taylor. The house iteself had collapsed through neglect about 1900, but the outbuildings were still intact. In order to make way for the camp, all the surviving buildings were razed (the fate of many structures on property acquired for the camp). When the camp was closed and sold at auction in 1921 Clark family members purchased forty-six acres containing the family cemetery and where the house had stood. That tract was donated to the city of Louisville for a park to be named in honor of Louisville’s founder. Today, George Rogers Clark Park is a popular destination located on Poplar Level Road. The playground equipment is located where the house once stood.

NOW: Playground equipment stands where the Clark cabin once did.

Only the family cemetery (many of the bodies were transferred to Cave Hill Cemetery in 1868) remains today to remind us where Louisville’s founder and one of our most famous pioneer families (William Clark and his enslaved African American York who lived for many years at Mulberry Hill would go on to fame on the Lewis & Clark Expedition) once lived.

For more information go to the Lewis and Clark in Kentucky website and Dr. Ernie Ellison’s pamphlet on Mulberry Hill on the Louisville Metro Parks website.

This article was originally written by Elizabeth Kissack and published in the spring 2005 issue of The Filson newsmagazine.