Marion will mark the 150th anniversary of the steamboat Sultana's explosion in the Mississippi River with four days of events that include a Civil War encampment on the courthouse lawn and a ceremony recognizing those killed.
More than 1,700 people died in the blast on April 27, 1865, making it the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history.
Coverage of the explosion in newspapers at the time was limited because of other major events occurring -- Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered April 9, 1865, signaling the end of the Civil War, and President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 15, 1865.
"It's a story that has been lost with time," said Lisa O'Neal, an organizer of the anniversary event in the Crittenden County town. "Marion is the voice now for the Sultana."
Registration begins today at the Marion Hampton Inn, where participants can pick up information packets and visit an exhibition at the hotel of the Civil War and Sultana artifacts. The Sultana Museum at 104 Washington St. on the Crittenden County Courthouse square in Marion will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today.
The museum features an 18-foot replica of the steamboat built by Gene Salecker, an eighth-grade social studies teacher from River Grove, Ill., who wrote a book on the boat's explosion.
On Friday, re-enactors will re-create a Civil War encampment on the courthouse grounds at noon, and the Marion United Methodist Church, 81 E. Military Road, will host lectures about the Sultana and Civil War battles that took place in the region.
City officials will place a wreath at the Sultana memorial at the Marion City Hall at 3:30 p.m. Friday. A dinner with a Civil War-era concert with entertainment by the 52nd Regimental String Band will follow at the Marion United Methodist Church at 6 p.m.
On Saturday, visitors will tour several Civil War sites in Memphis by bus, stop at the Mud Island Museum near downtown Memphis and embark on a riverboat cruise of the Mississippi, replicating the voyage the Sultana took a century and a half ago.
The 26-foot Sultana left Vicksburg, Miss., on April 24, 1865, headed for Ohio carrying more than 2,000 Union soldiers who had been released from Confederate prisons. The ship was designed to hold 376 people.
The ship docked in Memphis at 6 p.m. April 26, historians said, then crossed the Mississippi River to pick up 1,000 bushels of coal in Arkansas. It headed upstream at 1 a.m., April 27, 1865, Salecker said in remarks that accompanied his delivery of his Sultana model to the museum in January.
At 2 p.m., three of the four boilers exploded, Salecker said, sending the passengers into the rapid river waters.
"It's an historical, significant thing that happened near our town," O'Neal said. "We're excited about the attention."
More than 200 people from 25 states have registered for the event, including a family from New Mexico whose son is a Civil War buff, O'Neal said.
Several Marion businesses are incorporating the Sultana theme into their wares, she said. A gift shop offers Sultana candles, and Big John's Shake Shack on Military Road has a Sultana burger on its menu.
"We did research on the Sultana," said Jeff Tacker, owner of the Shake Shack. "We found it had four levels, so our burger has four levels."
The meal features 2 pounds of hamburger, chili, hash browns, a fried egg and cheese. Patrons who can eat it within 30 minutes will receive a T-shirt, Tacker said.
"We wanted to participate in some way with the tribute to the Sultana," Tacker said. "We've got a wall with pictures of the Sultana, and we're letting people know of its history."
Those seeking more information can visit the website www.sultana150.org, call O'Neal at (870) 636-1391 or the Marion Chamber of Commerce at (870) 739-6041.
State Desk on 04/23/2015