John Witherspoon is arguably the most important Presbyterian in American History. There is not much of significance in his era that he did not influence in some measure.…If Witherspoon were to pay a visit to the nation today, what would he think of the religious, political, and educational situation in the land for which he risked his life?

The International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures and Products of the Soil and Mine was held in 1876 to commemorate achieving American independence one hundred years earlier. Fortunately, it has come to be known more briefly as the Centennial Exposition or Philadelphia Centennial, but for this post simply Centennial will be used. The Centennial was a massive project with 200 buildings constructed on 286 acres of Fairmount Park along the Schuylkill River. The grand opening was planned for April to commemorate the battles of Lexington and Concord but logistics problems combined with construction delays pushed the opening to May 10 with the gates scheduled to close permanently November 10. It was a massive, expensive, no holds barred world’s fair declaring that after just a century the United States of America was officially a world player and everyone should stand up, take notice, and expect great things. The Centennial promoted all things American including machinery, metals, mining, horticulture, agriculture, art, music, national resources, science, cuisine, and the aesthetic beauty of the varied terrain of the nation. An example of the impressiveness of the Centennial was the Corliss engine that powered over 800 machines through a complex labyrinthine network of belts, cogs, and shafts. The engine’s two forty-four-inch diameter pistons were driven through strokes of ten feet by the external-combustion energy provided by steam. Everything was intended to be the biggest and the best in the world as exemplified architecturally by the Main Exhibition Building which measured 1880 by 464 feet yielding over 870,000 square feet of floor space for exhibits. The event was not only national but international because other nations provided exhibits as birthday gifts for the country. Everything was done in a big way because the United States was proud of its accomplishments and optimistic about its future.

If and how were the Presbyterians going to have a part in the celebration of a century of the United States?

Historically, Presbyterianism had contributed to the progress of the United States via three key influences. First, politically, because the pattern for representative government of the United States followed that of presbyterian polity; second, educationally, since many schools and colleges in the land were started by Presbyterians; and third, religiously, inasmuch as the predominant Protestant Christian influence in the mid-Atlantic and southern states was from Presbyterians.

The question of participating in the Centennial came before the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) in 1872. With much enthusiasm the commissioners appointed the Centennial Committee which included thirteen members—possibly intended to honor the thirteen original colonies. The Committee was to “take this subject into consideration, and make a report thereon to the next General Assembly.” The members included twelve men from the Philadelphia area: William P. Breed, Henry A. Boardman, Stephen W. Dana, George Hale, Addison Henry, George Junkin (see Notes), George Musgrave, Alfred Nevin, William A. Porter, William E. Schenck, and J. Ross Snowden, with a lone representative from Pittsburgh named Alexander W. Sproull. When the recommendations of the Centennial Committee were adopted the next year they included setting up a display of Presbyterian Board of Publication books and church artifacts at the Centennial; taking a collection for building a fire-proof facility for the Presbyterian Historical Society; offering a series of historical discourses on eras of Presbyterian history; dedicating the first Sabbath in July 1876 to be “a Day of Praise and Thanksgiving to God for the manifold blessings with which he has crowned us as a people”; and finally, inviting “other branches of the Presbyterian Church in the nation to cooperate with us in this work in so far, and in such manner, as they may deem expedient.” The Centennial Committee was aided in its efforts by addition of a sub-committee charged with finding speakers for historical discourses. When the Assembly convened in Cleveland in 1875, the Centennial Committee report had an addition tacked on its end. It was an important addition and as the years have passed the tacked-on afterthought is probably the most enduring aspect of the Centennial for Presbyterians. A statue was to be cast honoring Presbyterian Scottish-American John Witherspoon. Even though the Centennial Committee did not mention its reasoning for selecting  Witherspoon, he was surely the ideal person to cast in bronze because he embodied all three of the influences provided by the Presbyterian Church in American history–political, educational, and religious.

The cornerstone setting ceremony for the grand pedestal upon which the Witherspoon statue would be mounted was held Tuesday, November 16, 1875. The cornerstone was to be set upon the recently completed sturdy foundation. Complicating the ceremony was the mass of workers busily trying to get their jobs done so the Centennial could open on time. Also, as the celebration day wore on, the weather became increasingly worse. Those who could not abide the wet and cold were encouraged to go to Machinery Hall and await conclusion of the cornerstone setting process when Dr. William Adams would deliver a discourse to the attendees. Those braving the weather sadly could not appreciate the spectacular site that the sculptor, Joseph A. Bailly, had selected. It was strategically located in a corner of the Centennial’s grounds at a height sufficient to provide a fine view of the Schuylkill River, its steamboat landing, and the near-by Reading Railroad Exposition Station. With the cornerstone set, things were going well in terms of the schedule and once the pedestal was finished, the bronze of Witherspoon could be set in place.

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