Still Shining Discovering! Lost Treasures from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair
by Diane Rademacher

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Book Reviews of Still Shining Discovering! Lost Treasures from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair

Book Review: Celebrating a Centennial
Summary: 5 Stars

Now she shares her findings in _Still Shining: Discovering Lost Treasures from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair_. This volume is much more than a where-they-are-now report, however. Rademacher's introduction provides excellent background information on the Fair. In addition, she tells not only where remnants are today but also how they got there. In some cases this history even precedes an item's exhibition at the Fair.

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition generated a lot of salvage. The Chicago House Wrecking Company, which was awarded the contract for the Fair's demolition, published a catalog in which a number of items were offered for sale: "one hundred million linear feet of lumber, 'enough to build outright over ten (10) cities with a population each of 5,000 inhabitants,' new steel roofing, doors, windows, sills, pipe with fittings, stoves, office equipment, and construction materials of all types. . . . Three hundred and fifty thousand incandescent lamps were offered at 16 cents if new and 6 cents if used."

Rademacher's focus, however, is on unique items: the 56-foot statue of Vulcan that stands atop Red Mountain overlooking Birmingham, Alabama; the world's largest pipe organ (now several times larger than it was at the Fair) in the Lord & Taylor department store in downtown Philadelphia; the Connecticut pavilion that is now a stately residence in Lafayette, Indiana. In all, Rademacher cites about sixty treasures in fifteen states plus the District of Columbia.

_Still Shining_ is enhanced by nearly 250 photos -- past and present, interior and exterior, panoramic and detailed. These bring the treasures to life for the reader. In addition to listing the discussed items by state, Rademacher includes an index and an extensive bibliography. Thus it is easy to find desired information.

_Still Shining_ is an excellent volume to help you celebrate the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition. It is likely to inspire you to look for connections to the Fair in your own community.

Summary of Still Shining Discovering! Lost Treasures from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair

And yet... from a department store in Philadelphia to a hilltop in Birmingham, from a front yard in Moberly, Missouri, to a museum in Alaska-and in dozens of other places-the World's Fair still lives on.

In Still Shining!, Diane Rademacher tracks down the present history and location of the 1904 World's Fair most beloved buildings and structures. Rademacher's book contains original pictures of famous structures and how they look today.

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