New Program Launched on Liberty Bell Day; Never Before Seen Photographs from the San Francisco Mayor Rossi Family Personal Collection of the Liberty Bell Arriving at the World's Fair 100 Years Ago Today, amidst Tens of Thousands of Cheering Crowds, are among First Photos to be Showcased on Historypin
SAN FRANCISCO, July 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — The California Historical Society and Historypin are inviting 1915 World's Fair enthusiasts and the public to share their personal photographs and memorabilia from the Panama Pacific International Exposition (PPIE) for an online exhibit aimed at creating one of the largest virtual grassroots collections of stories, family memories and images from the World's Fair.
The online history project was launched during a commemoration of Liberty Day at the Fair (July 17th), with Rose Marie Cleese, granddaughter of former San Francisco Mayor Angelo J. Rossi, sharing never-before seen photographs and memorabilia from her family collection of photographs that show the Liberty Bell arriving and on display in San Francisco.
Angelo J. Rossi's floral company provided the flowers for the Liberty Bell float and Pavilion at the PPIE and these images were among the first to be uploaded onto the new online exhibition. Rossi later became the 31st mayor of San Francisco, serving from 1931 to 1944.
The California Historical Society and Historypin have made participation in the online exhibit simple. Uploading or "pinning" photos and images can be done by visiting the PPIE100 website at www.PPIE100.org/historypin. The website allows visitors to learn about the World's Fair and experience the photos and images being loaded onto the online exhibition. Already, more than 2,000 images have been "pinned" to the site.
"When the Liberty Bell arrived in San Francisco hundreds of thousands of spectators lined the sidewalks as it made its way from the Townsend Street Station to the grounds of the PPIE for a four month exhibit," said Cleese. "My grandfather and family were fortunate enough to have a front-row seat, providing the floral arrangements for the Liberty Bell float and Pavilion. These photographs we are uploading to this online exhibit show the excitement, pride and historical significance of the World's Fair to our family and our city."
Rose Marie's photographs and stories are an example of the countless personal stories from the 1915 World's Fair, which was visited by millions of people to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal and showcasing San Francisco—its recovery from the ashes of the 1906 earthquake and fire and its world trade potential.
"This is everyone's history and through the use of technology we have the ability to bring to life the memories, personal stories and historical significance of the World's Fair to San Francisco," said Dr. Anthea Hartig, executive director of the California Historical Society. "This online exhibit is very exciting as it allows people from around the world to not just celebrate the World's Fair but participate in such a personal and unique way."
Photos and images can be "pinned" and uploaded from any computer. However the California Historical Society is also helping upload their images to Historypin at its 678 Mission Street galleries, allowing visitors the opportunity to "pin" their images there and also visit CHS's amazing exhibition, City Rising: San Francisco and the 1915 World's Fair, which runs through January 2016.
About the California Historical Society: The California Historical Society is a 142-year-old, non-profit organization with a mission to inspire and empower people to make California's richly diverse past a meaningful part of their contemporary lives. We hold one of the top research collections on California history, which includes over 35,000 volumes of books and pamphlets, more than 4,000 manuscript collections, and about 500,000 photographs documenting California's social, cultural, economic, and political history and development, including some of the most cherished and valuable documents and images of California's past. Learn more: californiahistoricalsociety.org.
About Historypin: Historypin's global community of people, groups and institutions gather and share the history of the places that matter to them, using collections of photographs, documents, sounds and moving images to start conversations and trigger memories. Created with initial support from Google in 2011, Historypin consists of a web platform and a series of local volunteer led community projects that together increase local social capital and reduce social isolation. Historypin projects are run by local volunteers who digitize photos, collect stories and record oral histories, mapping and sharing this content using Historypin.org. To date, 60,000 citizen historians and 2,000 libraries, archives and museums have run thousands of local projects and shared over 380,000 materials and memories, which are explored by hundreds of thousands of users through the website and mobile applications. Learn more: www.historypin.org
About PPIE100: February 20, 2015 marked the 100th anniversary of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (PPIE), the World's Fair celebrating the completion of the Panama Canal and showcasing San Francisco—its recovery from the ashes of the 1906 earthquake and fire and its world trade potential. Throughout 2015, the PPIE100, a citywide consortium of cultural, civic, and historical organizations, will conduct centennial programs, events and exhibitions to commemorate the PPIE's historical significance and to reflect on its legacy, all collaborating on what San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee described as "a uniquely San Francisco way to celebrate a centennial—to focus on then, now and the future." PPIE100 organizing partners include the California Historical Society, Innovation Hangar, Maybeck Foundation and San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. AT&T is the presenting sponsor with other major support provided by Hearst Corporation, Wells Fargo, Ford, Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation and Sterling Bank/Seligman Family Foundation. Learn more: www.PPIE100.org. Follow PPIE100 on Twitter and Facebook @PPIE100.
Contact:
Kevin Herglotz
HPA Strategic Communications
415-963-2601
Email
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