I was just there, so this really is some fresh ship…
Steamboat Arabia…Leslie and I have been there at least 10 times with our visiting friends and relatives since it became a market area attraction in downtown KC. I am always amazed at how many locals overlook this great experience. Really, it is probably our favorite nearby attraction.
Here is the skinny: Some crazy guys figured out where a ship, The Steamboat Arabia, hit a snag and sank back in 1856. They found the Arabia 45 feet underground in a cornfield; spared from light and oxygen the degree of preservation of over 200 tons of ship is absolutely astonishing. By 1991, much of the ship and the ship stuff had been preserved in the present museum. Since the ship sank on the way to supplying mercantile stores up river, the contents are a walk through early Americana from carpentry tools to children’s toys to the world’s oldest pickles—I can promise you that this is a worthwhile and captivating 90 minutes.
We visit every other year or so because there are still tons of frozen ship to be processed. In fact, there are another 60 tons of ship coming…
Another exciting detail just emerging…These crazy entrepreneurs really have found some fresh ship! The Malta is the latest find and it could be just as exciting as the Arabia. Here is a video about it…