The commission wisely determined to reproduce this building as it was at that date on the exposition grounds at St. Louis and to use the same as a State building.  It was determined also to furnish it with furniture and pictures of that date.  On account of the prominence of the State of Louisiana in the original purchase, she was accorded first choice in the selection of a site for her State building.  A beautiful spot overlooking Government Hill and directly south of Missouri’s handsome State Palace was selected.  The building was completed in October, 1903, at a cost of $25,000.  On account of its historic interest and rich antique furnishings, the State building attracted much attention, and the visitors that passed through its portals numbered perhaps nearly a million.

In front of the building was reproduced the “Place d’Armes” of the French and Spanish regimes, now Jackson square, in the center of which was erected an equestrian statue of Andrew Jackson, modeled upon the one erected to the hero of Chalmette in the square in New Orleans by the grateful citizens of Louisiana.

In the room known as Sala Capitular, in which the transfer occurred, was exposed throughout the exposition a facsimile of the treaty signed by Livingstone, Monroe, and Marbois.  In the jails in the rear of the Cabildo were placed the original stocks used by the Spanish in punishment of their criminals.

Besides the Cabildo, which was a veritable museum of curios and interesting relics, Louisiana had 15 exhibits in 10 buildings.

In the Agricultural Palace she had 8,500 feet of space, of which 2,000 was devoted to sugar, 2,000 to rice, 2,000 to cotton, and 2,500 to general agriculture.

In the sugar exhibit was a field of cane made of wax, with negroes cutting the same, and from this field there was a train of cars carrying cane to the sugarhouse.  On reaching the sugarhouse the cane was unloaded by machinery and crushed by a complete sugar mill with crusher.  Surrounding the sugarhouse were 500 small barrels of sugar and 100 barrels of molasses; also in the same space were commercial samples of plantation and refined sugars and a life-sized model of “Miss Louisiana” made of sugar.  Samples of 100 varieties of cane were shown and samples of sugarhouse products were also, displayed.  There were also to be seen beautiful samples of paper Of all grades made from the cane.

In the rice exhibit were to be found, first, large shocks of each, variety of rice in the sheaf.  A field of growing rice, made of wax, with a harvesting machine cutting and binding the same, was in evidence.  All stages of growing rice were represented, from the sprouting seed to the fully matured grain.  Samples of commercial rice were tastefully exhibited.

In the cotton exhibit were to be found 15 commercial bales of cotton specially prepared for the exhibit by patriotic citizens of Louisiana.  Over these bales was a platform, upon which was erected a “Carnival King” in cotton.  A roller and saw gin, a square and round bale cotton press, and a complete cotton-seed oil mill made up the display of machinery in the cotton exhibit.  Nearly 100 varieties were shown in small, neat bales, weighing 3 or 4 pounds each.