top of page
All the World's a Fair: The Southern Tier Sanitary Fair
Established by the United States government in June 1861, the U.S. Sanitary Commission provided soldiers with food and medical care. Over 4,000 chapters were created, including one in Elmira, to collect supplies. Fairs were held to raise money. From March 14 to 18, 1864, Elmira hosted the Southern Tier Sanitary Fair at the newly constructed Second Presbyterian Church. Like other sanitary fairs, there were items for sale, exhibits, refreshment stands, a restaurant and evening entertainments. Though over $12,000 was raised, the fair ended in tragedy. On the evening of March 18, decorations caught fire. The church burned down and two men died.
 Sanitary Fair admission ticketOpened from 10 am to 11 pm, general admission to the Southern Tier Sanitary Fair was twenty-five cents. Highlights of the fair included a presentation by a former prisoner-of-war and a wedding with pieces of the wedding cake sold at twenty-five cents a slice. |  Harper's Weekly, April 16, 1864From the fall of 1863 to the end of the war, sanitary fairs were held throughout the North. The biggest sanitary fairs were held in New York City and Philadelphia. Illustration courtesy of harpersweekly.com |
|---|---|
 Harper's Weekly, April 23, 1864Nearly $4.4 million dollars was raised through sanitary fairs. Local chapters used the money to purchase food, medicine and clothing for soldiers. Illustration courtesy of harpersweekly.com |  Seven cup muffin tin, 1850sBaked goods and handcrafted items made by local women were sold at Sanitary Fairs to raise money to support the troops. |
 Handmade glass bead ornaments |  Handmade potholderHandmade abolitionist potholder |
 Handmade abolitionist potholder |  Captured Confederate Canteen, c. 186Exhibits of items taken from battlefields or captured from the enemy were popular attractions at Sanitary Fairs. |
 Cane made of wood from the battlefield of Antietam, 1862 |  Detail of cane made of wood from the battlefield of Antietam, 1862 |
 Bullets and cannonball fragments collected after the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 |  197501000105Bullet collected after the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 |
 Cannonball fragment collected after the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 |  Brass plaque from caisson captured from the Confederates and burned, 1861 |
 Starr M1856 Army RevolverOn the evening of March 25, 1864, the Southern Tier Sanitary Fair at the First Presbyterian Church in Elmira came to an end when festoons of evergreens caught fire. The church was destroyed in the blaze and two men lost their lives. This revolver was one of the last items sold before the fire broke out. |  Mourning ribbon worn at the funeral of one of the men who died in the Sanitary Fair fire in 1864 |
bottom of page