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When Camels Roamed the Park Piedmont Park and the Cotton StateS exPoSition

Like most of the Land that Lies beneath present-day Atlanta, the area now known as Piedmont Park was once farmland, home to the cotton and corn-fields of Benjamin Walker. The transi-tion from farm to metropolitan park began in 1887, when Walker sold his 189 acres to the Gentleman’s Driving Club, of which he was a member, to serve as a base of operations for bringing “fine horses to Atlanta and encouraging the breeding of fine stock.” A racetrack was carved out of the hill below the farm-house—now the clubhouse—on the site

of the present-day Active Oval. But the club had even loftier aspirations:

the staging of an exhibition designed to promote the resources and businesses of the southern Piedmont region. Forming an agreement with the Piedmont Expo-sition Company, with which it had mem-bers in common, it sold back all but four acres of its recently acquired real estate to serve as the exposition grounds.

Held just 104 days later, The Piedmont Exposition was a big success, netting a profit and attracting 200,000 people, including an audience of 50,000 who came

to hear an address by President Grover Cleveland. Afterward, the suggestion came up to convert the fairgrounds to a city park, but the idea failed, largely because the land was considered too far out in the country for the convenience of city resi-dents. Instead, the land, now known as Piedmont Park, was leased to the Cotton States Exposition Company for use as the site of the upcoming Cotton States and International Exposition.

H e l d f r o m S e p t e m b e r t h r o u g h December 1895, the Exposition was a pub-lic and media sensation, much as the

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Olympic Games would be a century later (although it’s hard to imagine the Olympics running for 100 days). From its opening day, events at the Exposition garnered national attention. On that day, Booker T. Washington took to the stage before an integrated, capacity crowd to deliver what came to be known as “The Atlanta Compromise” speech, declared by many historians to be “one of the most conse-quential pronouncements in American history.” Washington’s position, advocat-ing public cooperation but private separa-tion of the races, influenced American race relations for many years.

Another event that would have a lasting impact on American life turned out to be a flop at the Exposition. In an early forerun-ner to Screen on the Green, projected film made its mass-audience debut in the form of the Phantoscope, an event described as the “first instance of modern commercial cinema in the U.S.” Unfortunately, the darkened theater engendered a fear of pick-pockets, and the attraction bombed. But this failure was a rare exception, as other exhibits held the public enthralled.

Schools closed so that more than 12,000 school children could take the train to see the Liberty Bell. Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show brought cowboys and Indians to the Meadow. On the midway, located on what is now Oak Hill, fairgoers marveled at “villages” representing various world locales, and were intrigued by the chance to ride a camel on the make-believe Streets of Cairo. Long before the advent of the Georgia Aquarium, people lingered at the Exposition Aquarium, fascinated by the cat-fish and hermit crabs. In the evenings, up to 50,000 people—almost an entire Peachtree’s worth—lined the banks of Lake Clara Meer to gaze at the color effects of the revolutionary “Electric Fountain.”

A number of celebri-ties of the time were among the 800,000 who attended the event dur-

ing its run. President Cleveland gave an encore address, Clara Barton visited the Women’s Building and John Philip Sousa was on hand to conduct his specially-composed “King Cotton March” in a fore-runner of concerts by the likes of the Atlanta Symphony and The Allman Brothers in years to come.

When the Exposition ended, the ques-tion again arose as to what to do with the land. Strapped for cash, the majority of the Piedmont Exposition Company pushed to sell the land and Exposition buildings for conversion to a cotton mill. It is here that Benjamin Walker stepped back into the picture. Determined to see the land become a city park, he joined with three other stockholders to buy up company stock to block the sale while negotiations with the city dragged on. Sadly, Walker didn’t live to see his dream come to pass: he died in 1899, leaving his son strict instructions to sell only to the city. In 1904, the sale finally went through, and what had been the old Walker farm was finally Atlanta’s Piedmont Park.

So when you’re picking up your water and T-shirt shirt this July 4, listen for a moment beyond the din of the crowd and imagine the whooping and thunderous hoof beats of Buffalo Bill’s cowboys and Indians. And if you squint a little through the summer haze in the direction of Oak Hill, you may just imagine you see a dark shape that looks oddly like a camel, shuf-fling off toward Piedmont Avenue to the beat of a Sousa march. <

The Piedmont Park ConservancyThe Piedmont Park Conservancy was formed in 1989 as a non-profit entity to work in partnership with the City of Atlanta for the preservation, mainte-nance and enhancement of the park. Over the years, it has worked to restore the park’s historic structures, refur-bished much of the greenspace and installed amenities such as lighting, drinking fountains, paths and benches. In addition to fundraising and con-struction project management, the organization funds a maintenance staff, oversees security and manages day camp and educational programs for children.

By 2010, the Conservancy will have raised and invested more than $64 million for these projects, and is look-ing ahead to the addition of more than 53 acres of greenspace to the park’s footprint.

In recognition of its efforts, the Conservancy has earned the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation Stewardship Award and two Urban Design Commission Awards of Excellence, among other honors. It has also been given a perfect four-star rat-ing by Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest independent charity evaluator.

For information on volunteer oppor-tunities or Conservancy membership, visit piedmontpark.org.

Original stonework from the Exposition buildings remains in use at the park today. Be

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