The Peoria Corn Exposition (or Corn Carnival) was a late summer attraction in Peoria from 1898 to 1902 with headquarters in this building on Globe Street between Main & Hamilton Streets. This wooden octagonal building which seated 7,000 was first built as a tabernacle for religious meetings. As the Corn Palace, the entire theme of decoration was corn, both inside and out. The week-long carnival included street shows with music or jugglers at nine different downtown corners, concerts by numerous bands, a governor's day with an industrial parade, bicycle races, a ladies day, husking matches, fireworks displays, premium awards at the Exposition Building and a Grand-Masked Parade and Carnival. The 1900 program lists the official song with music by Prof. Eugene Plowe and words by Peoria poet Edna Dean Proctor. "Blazon Columbia's Emblem, the Bounteous Golden Corn."

Original photos taken by William A. Gregory who lived on North Sheridan in Peoria. William worked for Frank D. Murray, a Peoria contractor (1881-1957) who built 100+ houses, including a good number on Frye Ave. William A. Gregory was an amateur photographer, picking up the hobby early on, taking thousands of architectural and event pictures of Peoria.