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Sultana Disaster Museum

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Sultana Disaster Museum

Sultana Disaster Museum is dedicated to telling the story of the 1865 explosion of the steamboat Sultana.
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The Sultana was a Mississippi River paddlewheel steamboat whose destruction in an explosion on April 27, 1865 is deemed the deadliest maritime disaster in United States history. Nearly 1,200 of the Sultana's almost 2,200 passengers were killed when three of the boat's boilers exploded and caused the Sultana to sink just north of Marion, Arkansas. The Sultana Disaster Museum serves to commemorate and honor those who suffered and died in the Sultana disaster.

06/22/2026

🎉TONIGHT!🎉

Join us for a memorable community event tonight, June 22, 2026, at 6 p.m. in the NEW auditorium at the Sultana Disaster Museum, featuring Charlie May Simon Award-winning author Michael Shoulders.

Each year, Michael inspires audiences at nearly 80 schools and conferences across the United States and Europe with his engaging message, “Reading is Magic!”

Michael is the author of 24 acclaimed Goodreads titles, including "Crossing the Deadline," his powerful Civil War novel that follows young Stephen Gaston’s wartime journey and survival of the Sultana explosion.

His celebrated works also include "N is for Natural: An Arkansas Picture Book," "Natural Numbers: An Arkansas Number Book," "V is for Volunteer: A Tennessee Alphabet" and the beloved holiday favorite "The Legend of the Christmas Pickle."

This event is free and open to the public.

06/20/2026

🌟SULTANA PASSENGER SPOTLIGHT🌟

Seth Hardin and his wife Hannah married on Dec. 22, 1864, postponing their New Orleans honeymoon until spring. Following several weeks spent in New Orleans, they boarded the Sultana with anticipation on April 21st, eager to return home to Illinois.

While they were in the main saloon, the boilers suddenly exploded. The steamer was quickly engulfed in flames, and the cabins crashed down, but they remained on board until the fire forced them, and hundreds of others, to leap into the water.

The river's deep, turbulent waters quickly separated them, and Seth never saw his bride again.

He somehow managed to reach land, though he lost consciousness while still in the water. After being rescued and brought ashore, he was exhausted and in shock. He eventually made his way to a hotel on Adams Street, hoping for a place to stay after his near-death experience and the loss of Hannah. However, when he asked for a room at the hotel, he was refused because he lacked baggage, money, and appropriate clothing.

On May 13th, accompanied by other relatives also searching for missing family members, he boarded the Jenny Lind and proceeded downriver in search of her body. After these attempts proved unsuccessful, he issued a $100 reward for information regarding his wife; however, the reward was not claimed.

Seth Hardin did not remarry. He pursued a career in banking and real estate, survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and passed away from typhoid pneumonia in 1880 at the age of 44.

His final resting place is an unmarked grave at Graceland Cemetery in Chicago.

06/18/2026

🚢COMING NOVEMBER 14🚢

A major piece of American history is ready to be experienced in person.

The Sultana Disaster Museum officially opens on Saturday, Nov. 14, in Marion, Arkansas, telling the powerful story of the deadliest maritime disaster in U.S. history. From loss to legacy, this long-awaited opening honors the past while educating future generations through immersive exhibits and storytelling.

As a reminder, the current museum located at 104 Washington Street is now CLOSED as we prepare for the opening of our new museum facility.

We look forward to welcoming you this November!

06/17/2026

🎉NEXT WEEK!🎉

Join us for a memorable community event on Monday, June 22, 2026, at 6 p.m. in the NEW auditorium at the Sultana Disaster Museum, featuring Charlie May Simon Award-winning author Michael Shoulders.

Each year, Michael inspires audiences at nearly 80 schools and conferences across the United States and Europe with his engaging message, “Reading is Magic!”

Michael is the author of 24 acclaimed Goodreads titles, including "Crossing the Deadline," his powerful Civil War novel that follows young Stephen Gaston’s wartime journey and survival of the Sultana explosion.

His celebrated works also include "N is for Natural: An Arkansas Picture Book," "Natural Numbers: An Arkansas Number Book," "V is for Volunteer: A Tennessee Alphabet" and the beloved holiday favorite "The Legend of the Christmas Pickle."

This event is free and open to the public.

06/11/2026

🌟SULTANA SOLDIER SPOTLIGHT🌟

Private Edwin G. Merrifield was only 19 years old when he survived the catastrophic explosion of the Sultana on April 27, 1865. Very little is known about his life, and no photographs of him exist, but historical records show he participated in the Battle of Athens from September 23-25, 1864.

He was captured on September 24 along with roughly 1,300 other Union soldiers, then taken to Cahaba Prison near Selma, Ala. Known as Castle Morgan, this prison was initially built to accommodate only 500 inmates. However, after Merrifield and others arrived in October 1864, the population swelled to 2,151. By March 1865, it held more than 3,000 prisoners.

Enduring overcrowded prison conditions, lack of food, disease and flooding rivers, Merrifield is among those paroled in March of 1865 and begins the journey to the established exchange camp at Camp Fisk in Vicksburg, Miss. According to records, he was exchanged on April 22, 1865, and just two days later boarded the ill-fated Sultana, which was set to transport him first to Cairo, Ill., and then to Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio.

Historical records indicate that the Sultana sank in the Mississippi River following a boiler explosion north of Memphis, resulting in approximately 1,200 fatalities.
Recently, descendants of Private Merrifield came to our museum - one in person while on a business trip, and another joined via FaceTime from California.

It was a great honor and privilege to have his family visit our museum.

06/09/2026

📚 Exciting opportunity for Arkansas Educators!📚

Step outside the classroom and into history for a one-of-a-kind K–12 professional development experience at the Sultana Disaster Museum in partnership with Economics Arkansas!

🗓 Monday, June 22
⏰ 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
📍 114 Military Rd.
✅ Earn 6 hours of ADE-approved professional development credit

Join us at the NEW Sultana Disaster Museum as we explore the 1865 explosion and the economic decisions behind it. Economics Program Coordinator Lisa Byrum will connect transportation, risk & incentives to real decision-making applications you can take back with you.

The event will also feature presentations by Jerry Potter, author of "The Sultana Tragedy" and Michael Shoulders, author of "Crossing the Deadline" and "N is for the Natural State," among other works commonly used in elementary classrooms.

Only 10 spots remain so register today! https://trainings.economicsarkansas.org/trainings/495

05/29/2026

Join us for a memorable community event on Monday, June 22, 2026, at 6 p.m. in the NEW auditorium at the Sultana Disaster Museum, featuring Charlie May Simon Award-winning author Michael Shoulders.

Each year, Michael inspires audiences at nearly 80 schools and conferences across the United States and Europe with his engaging message, “Reading is Magic!”

Michael is the author of 24 acclaimed Goodreads titles, including "Crossing the Deadline," his powerful Civil War novel that follows young Stephen Gaston’s wartime journey and survival of the Sultana explosion.

His celebrated works also include "N is for Natural: An Arkansas Picture Book," "Natural Numbers: An Arkansas Number Book," "V is for Volunteer: A Tennessee Alphabet" and the beloved holiday favorite "The Legend of the Christmas Pickle."

This event is free and open to the public.

05/25/2026

Today and every day, the Sultana Disaster Museum honors the memory of the soldiers who survived the horrors of war only to perish in the tragic explosion of the steamboat Sultana on April 27, 1865. More than 1,100 lives were lost in what remains the deadliest maritime disaster in American history.

As you gather with loved ones, we invite you to remember those who never made it home. Their stories deserve to be told, remembered and honored.

Wishing everyone a meaningful and reflective Memorial Day.

05/22/2026

🌟SULTANA PASSENGER SPOTLIGHT🌟

Samuel and Esther Spikes from Assumption Parish, Louisiana, boarded the Sultana in New Orleans with hopes of starting a new chapter up north. They were joined by their six children: Louisa (25), Lurany (23), DeWitt (19), Lizzie (17), Susan (17), an unnamed son, and their niece Adeline, whose age is unknown. They brought their family Bible and $17,000 in gold with them as well.

During its stop in Vicksburg, the Sultana loaded more than 1,900 Union prisoners who had just been freed from the Cahaba and Andersonville prison camps. Regrettably, as the steamer Sultana traveled north on a swollen river carrying an excessive number of passengers and cargo, it experienced a catastrophic explosion just north of Memphis.

When the boilers exploded and mass chaos erupted amongst the passengers, 19-year-old DeWitt was separated from his family. He was later rescued by Confederate soldiers and taken ashore at Mound City, Arkansas. After a brief period of rest, DeWitt promptly resumed his efforts, assisting in the rescue operations for others from the river. He looked for his family, but found that his mother and younger sister, still in her life preserver, had died in the water. Despite his ongoing grief, DeWitt set aside his personal loss to contribute to the rescue operations. He is credited with saving at least 30 people from the dangerous waters of the Mississippi River.

DeWitt dedicated several days in Memphis to locating additional family members and overseeing the funeral arrangements for his mother and sister at Elmwood Cemetery before he boarded another steamer to head north.

The family Bible was recovered by the crew of the Rose Hambleton, and DeWitt received $200 from the fund established for Sultana victims, which was the largest amount awarded to any survivor or family member.

05/18/2026

Thanks for helping us send the current museum out in style!

The Sultana Disaster Museum has been especially grateful for all the incredible visitors who have walked through our doors these last few weeks and shared in preserving this important piece of history.

We've had visitors from:
📍Texas
📍Wisconsin
📍Kentucky
📍Iowa
📍Minnesota
📍Missouri
📍Nevada
📍New Jersey
📍Michigan
📍New York

And others from towns right here in Arkansas:
📍Little Rock
📍Wynne
📍Ozark

Every visitor, near and far, has helped make this season at the museum unforgettable, and we are so grateful for the stories, connections and memories shared as we prepare for what comes next.

Stay tuned for updates as we begin our move to the new museum and get ready to open in November!

Address

104 Washington Street
Marion, AR
72364

Opening Hours

Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

+18706352954

Website

http://www.sultanadisastermuseum.com/

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