1876 Centennial Exposition
Harbour Lights #382

The 1876 Centennial Exposition was the first World's Fair held in the United States, a celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence. For display, the Lighthouse Board sent Fresnel lenses, scale models of lighthouses and an anchor and fog bell from a lightship. Part of the display was a 45-foot tall caisson on rocks resembling Delaware Bay's Ship John Shoal Light. The French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi presented a colossal piece of the Statue of Independence, the arm holding the torch. Attendees paid 50 cents to climb a ladder to the top. When the Exposition closed, it was estimated that about 10 million visitors attended, equivalent to 20% of the population of the United States at the time. 7 1/4" x 5".