Support the Sultana

VIEWPOINT

By RALPH HARDIN

Evening Times Editor I f you’re like me and a lot of other folks, you have at least a passing interest in history. We study it in school, we watch movies and read books about historical events, and there’s even a whole channel on TV about history… although they seem more interested in Ancient Aliens and Oak Island Treasure than the causes of World War II or the impact of the Columbian Exchange these days.

The cool thing is that history is everywhere and all around us. Sure we all learned about George Washington and Lewis & Clark and Rosa Parks in school, but there’s a ton of interesting but lesser known stories out there if you dig a little. And you actually don’t have to dig too deeply to uncover a very interesting story that took place right here in Crittenden County.

And if you read the title, you already know I’m talking about the Sultana disaster. Longtime readers have no doubt heard the story already, as we’ve devoted plenty of ink and paper to the subject but there’s always something new to discover about “America’s Greatest Maritime Disaster” and the stories surrounding it.

A very brief summary: On April 27, 1865, the 260-foot steamboat the Sultana exploded along the Mississippi River near Marion, way over capacity, mostly carrying Union soldiers on their way back north after the Civil War. Of the 2,400-plus passengers on board, more than 1,800 were killed, either in the explosion, by drowning or by other injuries.

While tragic, the news was largely forgotten due to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln just a few days later and the Sultana became a bit of lost history for most of the world.

In recent years, though, there has been a renewed interest in the Sultana and its history. A few years ago, Marion hosted the 150th anniversary Sultana Tragedy gathering, complete with Civil War-era cannons and rifles and costumed re-enactors on hand. After that, there were annual symposiums here with academic speakers and such, but the really cool thing to come out of it all was the Sultana Disaster Museum.

If you haven’t been there, you should. It’s right in front of the Crittenden County Courthouse, across the courthouse square in the back of that collection of business spaces on Old Military Road. If you’ve never seen it there, trust me, it’s there. At least for now.

You see, we’re actually on the precipice of getting a new Sultana Museum, while also preserving yet another piece of local history. The old Marion School Gym on Old Military Road, across from the Herbert Carter Global Community Magnet School, is going to be the new home of a multimillion- dollar Sultana Disaster Museum. The exterior will be largely preserved while the inside becomes the home of artifacts, exhibits and displays dedicated to the story of the Sultana and the people who were aboard it during its final ill-fated journey.

Fundraising efforts for the museum have been underway for years, but now that those efforts have crosses the one-million-dollar mark in donations and pledges, it’s time to really kick the fundraising into gear. Local support of the Sultana Museum is going to be key in not only getting the museum up and running but keeping it going for years to come.

This museum isn’t just a tribute to the disaster and the people who lost their lives, it’s an important dot on the map of history, and one that will bring people to the community. If you have zero interest in the Sultana, I assure you there are plenty of folks who will be fascinated by what a fully realized Sultana Museum has to offer.

Imagine busloads of students from all over the Mid-South making annual field trips to the museum. Or imagine history tour guides pointing visitors from all over the country toward Marion to learn about the disaster. These types of venues are a great revenue stream for the communities that host them. Think of all the people who are already visiting Memphis for its historical sites. Another one, just a few minutes’ drive, or a quick bike ride over the Big River Crossing, would be a draw. And those folks are going to need to buy food and drinks and gas and who knows what else.

The potential is there, folks, to not only preserve an important chapter in history but reap the financial rewards that such an attraction can bring to our community. In the coming weeks, you’ll hear more about supporting the Sultana Museum. This really can be the start of something big.

I hope you’ll consider making a contribution. It’s been said a lot lately, but we really are all in this together.