It’s not everyday when history’s treasures sail into your backyard.
I am lucky. A few days ago Titanic: Treasures From the Deep presented by Country Financial made a stop at a large mall about five minutes from our house.
You might be familiar with the major RMS Titanic exhibit that travelled to large museums around the country several years ago. This is the same exhibit, on a smaller scale.
50 of the best artifacts were on display, including paper money, clothing, stamps, jewelry. The survival of these delicate items is astonishing. Even though I’ve seen them before, I found myself marveling at their improbability again. The crushing weight of an icy ocean couldn’t destroy these items. It defies logic and gives you the sense you are witnessing a small miracle.
I took Ryley and Sam to check it out with me. Ryley is working on a project for school where he must adopt the persona of a historical figure. He chose Captain E. J. Smith of the Titanic long before we knew the exhibit was coming. It was the perfect research opportunity.
When we arrived at the site, we were given boarding passes with names of actual passengers, along with facts about the passenger’s lives. We were all third class folk, which was bad news. Everyone knows what happened to the poorest of the passengers. Few survived. We’d find out at the end of the exhibit if we made it out alive.
As we snaked our way through the displays, I made sure my boys acknowledged each dutifully. Something goes a little haywire in a mom when she senses a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for refinement and education is in the grasp of her children.
I may have gushed to my two companions that they must, must look at the cufflinks! Look at the cufflinks! The cufflinks, boys, the cufflinks! Get a load of the cufflinks!
As an afterthought, I asked if they knew what cufflinks are. They did not.
I was very impressed by the exhibit. It was somber, accessible, and interesting. And then we died.
If you are in the Denver area, the exhibit will be at Park Meadows from April 30 to May 3, 11 am to 7 pm daily.
The exhibit will travel around the country this spring and summer. Click here to see if it will be in a city near you. It’s free and family-friendly. Put it on your calendar.
Maybe you’ll be unsinkable?
I took my girls to see one at the St. Louis Science Center a couple of years ago. Very impressive and also heartbreaking. And amazing. And very sad.
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EEK! It’s going to be in Portland next week! Thanks so much for the tip; I will make sure to go see it.
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I am guessing that you didn’t make it out of the Titanic alive as you were in 3rd class… I am so sorry.
I think my son in particular would love to see this exhibit!
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We died, too! I had a feeling Claire wasn’t going to make it, as she was a single man traveling alone. I was a mom with kids, so I held out hope…but alas.
🙂
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We saw a display in a museum- I don’ t know if it is the same one or not. What has still stuck with me so many years later is the water. You could stick your hand in water to feel the temp of the water the passengers were in. I couldn’t stand to have my hand in it for more than a second it was so cold. I don’t know if I will ever forget that.
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Did any of you survive?
I’m bummed that this exhibit isn’t coming to California!
And how wonderful for Ryley that this exhibit coincides with his project. I’m getting a degree in reading education and these types of experiences really help kids with their reading and learning in general. NOW they’ll know what cufflinks are… anything they saw on that ship will help them when they come across anything similar in their reading.
How fun!
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Thanks for the heads up, will have to check it out.
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We saw this in Houston several years ago (I remember I had an infant because I was pushing a stroller, but can’t remember which child!). I’ve always had a strange obsession with the Titanic ever since I read “A Night to Remember” in 8th grade. I think we all died, too. But in the meantime, I loved visiting the exhibit!
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Oh that is so cool~especially with how it coincided with Ryley’s project. I didn’t see Pennsylvania on the tour schedule, but hopefully it will make its way here. What a neat experience.
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