Editing Centennial Exposition (section)

== Precursor ==
[[File:Great Sanitary Fair 1864.jpg|thumb|The Great Sanitary Fair in 1864 was the model for the Centennial Exposition; it raised $1,046,859 for medicine and bandages during the [[American Civil War]].]]
[[Image:Joseph Roswell Hawley - Brady-Handy.jpg|thumb|[[Joseph Roswell Hawley]], president of the U.S. Centennial Commission]]
[[Image:Centennial Board of Finance 1875.jpg|thumb|A stock certificate for five $10 shares issued by the Centennial Board of Finance]]
The [[Great Central Fair]] on [[Logan Square, Philadelphia|Logan Square]] in [[Philadelphia]], in 1864, also known as the Great Sanitary Fair, was one of the many [[United States Sanitary Commission]]'s [[Sanitary Fair]]s held during the [[American Civil War]].

The fairs provided a creative and communal means for ordinary citizens to promote the welfare of [[Union Army]] soldiers and dedicate themselves to the survival of the nation, and the Great Central Fair bolstered [[Philadelphia in the American Civil War|Philadelphia's role as a vital center]] in the Union war effort. It anticipated the combination of public, private, and commercial investments that were necessary to mount the Centennial Exposition. Both had a similar [[Gothic Revival architecture|neo-Gothic]] appearance, including the waving flags, a huge central hall, the "curiosities" and relics, handmade and industrial exhibits, and also a visit from the [[President of the United States|U.S. president]] and his family.