MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A little history will soon make its way to Marion, Arkansas, as plans for the future Sultana Disaster Museum are underway, with the museum set to open in Fall 2023.
On April 27, 1865, the Sultana, a Mississippi River paddlewheel steamboat, exploded and sank in the Mississippi River, killing more than 1,200 of the 2,000 Union Soldiers who were on board.
The Union Soldiers were released from Andersonville and Cahaba Confederate prison camps before the explosion, and the tragedy is known as the "Greatest Maritime Disaster in US History".
The museum will honor Sultana's survivors, as well as the many soldiers who lost their lives.
The museum will feature a memorial brick pathway with customized bricks purchased by donors.
Anyone who wishes to donate to the construction of the museum by purchasing a memorial brick can visit the website and submit their name to be engraved on a souvenir brick. The souvenir bricks will be installed on the memorial brick pathway that will pave the entrance of the museum.
Once donors make a donation and customize their souvenir brick, they will receive a donor certificate that will detail what their brick will look like. They will also receive a 1.5" X 3" personal souvenir brick in the mail with each memorial brick donation.
All proceeds will support the construction of the museum.