Trivia question: Where can you find the only building that Rhode Island owns outside the state's borders?
Answer: West Springfield, Massachusetts, home of the Eastern States Exposition.
The Big E, as it's better known, is an annual fair that features concerts, carnival rides, fried food, livestock displays and much more. It's like a state fair, but for all six New England states, and it's attended by more than 1.5 million people a year. This year's edition opens on Sept. 18 and runs through Oct. 4.
One of the highlights of the fair is the Avenue of States, where each New England state has a smaller replica of its original statehouse. You can sample clam cakes, lobster rolls and Del's frozen lemonade in the Rhode Island building, then walk over to the Vermont building for cider doughnuts and maple syrup.
Through an unusual arrangement, each state owns and maintains its own building and the land underneath it. Purchases are subject to that state's sales tax – which means that inside the New Hampshire building, there's no sales tax at all. Each state can also sell its own lottery tickets, although Rhode Island is among the states that no longer do so.
State troopers from each state monitor the buildings. But contrary to popular belief, they're not actually sovereign territory. When you're inside the Rhode Island building, the laws of the Town of West Springfield and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts still apply.
The Big E is unique because it's the only multistate fair in the country. Its founder, Joshua L. Brooks, wanted it to be "a truly regional event," states the exposition's website. "He believed that to achieve this, each of the six New England states should construct a building that could display both its character and its product."
Brooks convinced the Massachusetts legislature to build the Massachusetts Building in 1919, according to MassLive. Other states' buildings were completed between 1925 and 1939. Rhode Island, in characteristic fashion, was late to the party: Ours wasn't constructed until 1957.
The Rhode Island building is a scaled-down replica of the Colony House in Newport, and convincingly mimics its gable windows, octagonal cupola and stately brick facade. Its interior, however, is fairly generic. And almost as soon as it was completed, Rhode Islanders began complaining that the state wasn't putting enough money or effort into the exhibits.
"For years the building has had a thrown-together look – the result of a lack of funds and imagination – that put it at a competitive disadvantage with the buildings of the other New England states," The Providence Journal lamented in 1978.
One year, the state's display featured an old chicken shed from Little Compton, decorated to look like a shellfisherman's shack. John Rego, the state official tasked with putting together the exhibit, later remarked, "When you come from visiting the other state buildings to Rhode Island's, it's somewhat embarrassing."
Creative attempts to upstage Rhode Island's neighbors didn't always work out too well, either. In 1980, the Department of Environmental Management decided to showcase the state's marine life by installing a large pool filled with fish, crabs, lobsters and a 4½-foot shark. All the sea creatures – likely stressed by the drive to West Springfield – died immediately, and the display was shut down.
These days, visitors to the Big E are more likely to judge state buildings by their food.
Rhode Island holds its own in this regard, with chowder and stuffies from Blount Clam Shack in Warren and lobster rolls from Southeast Light Delights on Block Island.
Vendors also include National Gold and Diamond, which brings a chain machine and makes jewelry at the fair, and Fenham Publishing, which sells a variety of H.P. Lovecraft books.
It's a random mix, but one that feels representative of Rhode Island.
Commerce is responsible for deciding how to fill the Rhode Island building each year, and sparked some controversy when it replaced Kenyon's Grist Mill with Blount Clam Shack in 2019, citing unpaid debts.
This year, Commerce received 16 applications from potential vendors, said spokesman Matthew Touchette.
Only one, a liquor company, was rejected: West Springfield doesn't allow hard liquor to be sold in state buildings at the Big E. (Beer and wine are allowed, and this year's lineup includes the Rhode Island Brewers Guild and Tavolo Wine Bar.)
The selection process for vendors "considers whether they are a licensed Rhode Island business, feature products made locally and offer items that are unique or exclusive to the Ocean State," Touchette wrote in an email. "The goal is to highlight authentic Rhode Island products and experiences for visitors to enjoy."
The state takes a cut of food and beverage vendors' sales, while retail vendors pay $25 per foot for their space.
The six state buildings typically sit empty for most of the year.
Each state is responsible for maintaining its own building, but that doesn't mean that state workers are driving out to West Springfield to fix a leaky faucet. Karen Greco, a spokeswoman for the Department of Administration, said that Rhode Island hires a local contractor to oversee operations.
Annual costs come to roughly $70,000 a year, she said. The Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance pays the bill and is reimbursed by Commerce at the end of the fair.
The Rhode Island Building has been revitalized thanks to a $2.3 million upgrade project, featuring architectural improvements designed to elevate visitor experience and honor the state's history. Architectural upgrades include a glistening new epoxy floor, enhanced modern lighting, roof renovations and new doors and windows. These updates coincide with America's 250th celebrations.
This story originally published Sept. 16, 2025.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: One of Rhode Island's most unique landmarks isn't in Rhode Island