Sultana Disaster Museum
What to know
The Sultana was a Civil War era, paddlewheel steamboat whose destruction in an explosion on April 27, 1865 has the distinction as the “Greatest Maritime Disaster in United States History”. Over 1,800 of the Sultana’s 2,300 passengers were killed when three of the boat’s boilers exploded and the Sultana sank just north of Marion, Arkansas.
The Sultana Disaster Museum focuses on the steamboat itself, from its construction to destruction and the aftermath of the disaster. Passenger stories are also presented - who they were and where they came from - as well as the stories of the rescuers and eyewitnesses. Visit Marion, a small town in the Delta, and learn more about this Forgotten Tragedy
The present Sultana Disaster Museum, created in 2015, and providing less than 1000 square feet, will soon be replaced by a permanent modern museum of nearly 17,000 square feet with state-of-the-art concepts.