Entry No. 8 — the Memphis file — filed under: history

Sultana Disaster Museum

A small storefront museum ten minutes across the river holds furnace bricks, shaker plates, and other relics pulled from the Mississippi — wreckage of the steamboat Sultana, which exploded seven miles north of Memphis in April 1865 packed with just-released Union POWs and killed more people than the Titanic, in what's still the deadliest maritime disaster in U.S. history and one almost nobody has heard of.

The move: Drive across the Hernando de Soto Bridge to Marion, walk the interim exhibit of recovered wreckage and survivor letters before the permanent gymnasium-building museum opens, and read the roadside historical marker near where the boat actually went down.

• 📍 Marion, Arkansas
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 104 Washington Street, Marion, AR 72364 (current interim storefront; a larger permanent museum in the renovated Marion gym opens Nov 14, 2026)

Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia · thewynneprogress.com

last checked: 2026-07-20