#298 - 1901 8ยข Pan American
See below for details
Basic Info
8¢
Lilac and black, light purplish brown and black, claret and black
Printing Method: FLAT PLATE
Subject: Poe Canal Lock
Number issued: 4,921,700
Perforations: P12
Watermark: Double Line USPS
Scott #: 298
Issued: May 1st, 1901
Value
Used
$1 - $4
No postmark with gum (MH)
$22.50 - $50
Full perfect gum, no postmark
no trace of stamp hinge mark (MNH)
$75 - $95
#298 Plate #'s
#298 was issued with the following plate #'s
Frame plates:
1150
Vignette plates:
1143
Half sheet of #298
Two panes of #298. Each pane had 100 stamps, there were two panes to a sheet of 200
The Inspiration for the Design
For the vignette was based on this photo of the Poe Canal Lock, Sault Ste. Marie, located on the St Mary's River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron.
The Poe Canal Lock, built in 1896 by the Army Corps of Engineers, was the largest or longest in the world. The lock was also the first to use electricity.
The Poe Canal Lock, 1900
First Day Cover
First day cover, May 1st, 1901
Essays and Proofs
298-E4
Pen and ink sketch of frame
298-E4
298-E5
Pen and ink frame essay on India
298-E5
298-P1
Large Die Proof on india
298-P1
298-P2
Proof on India mounted on card
298-P2
The Pan American Exposition
The Pan American Exposition was originally planned for 1898 but due to the outbreak of the Spanish American War it was delayed. The Exposition was going to be located at Niagara falls, however due to the mist from the falls, access only being by boat and the size of the site being too small for the envisioned crowds, it was decided to move the Exposition to nearby Buffalo, NY, Buffalo was much better suited to the event. It was held from May 1 through November 2, 1901.
Construction was started in 1899 over a 350 acre site. The videos below don't show the fact that it was a very colorful exposition, the idea being it was to be a 'Rainbow City' in the Spanish Renaissance style. The whole expo was lit up at night, which was quite a feat as the electric light had only recently been invented. This was recorded by Thomas Edison, the video can be seen below.
The Exposition is probably best known for being the scene of President McKinley's assassination. The site of the Expo was on farmers land who has promised that the land would be returned to him in the state they found it, after the Expo had finished. For this reason all the buildings were demolished and the canals filled in. The Exposition should have been a great success, but bad weather and the assassination put a damper on things and it ended up in debt.
Thomas Edison's 1901 film of the Exposition
Thomas Edison's tour of the canal at the Exposition
President McKinley gives speech at the Pan American Exposition. The next day he was assassinated.
The only building to still remain today from the 1901 Pan-American Exposition is the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, it was originally called the New York State Pavilion
A ticket to the Exposition
A postcard highlighting the electric lighting at the Exposition
1901 Pan-American Series
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