Titanic the Artifact Exhibition is coming to Waco on June 2nd and it’s the Mayborn Museum’s first blockbuster exhibit.
With 9 galleries and more than 150 artifacts pulled from the ocean floor, the Titanic exhibit is one of the biggest events ever held at Baylor University’s Mayborn Museum. Rebecca Nall says the museum was looking for a great event and this one fit the bill. “Titanic sunk more than 100 years ago but we know that it still holds a fascination for so many people.” she said.
The Titanic has been the subject of academic research, documentaries and there’s THAT one movie the iconic 1997 James Cameron epic. The exhibition promises to be just as fascinating, and you may even learn some new surprises along the way. Catherine Seymour of Premiere Exhibitions showed me some of the artifacts that will be in the exhibition. One piece is a perfectly white china mug with the white star line logo right on the front. Seymour said “Third class passengers actually got a tea service every single day which was something new. Something they never got to experience before, and this cup here was most likely used to drink hot chocolate out of. It was a real treat for those on board who never had the opportunity to even taste hot chocolate before.” Seymour explains that even third class service aboard the ship was premiere for its time. Which may explain why Jack was so excited to be on the ship.
One of the more fascinating artifacts Seymour showed me is a $10 bank note. It has slight water damage, but I can still see just about everything on the note in great detail. Seymour says, the paper goods likely remain intact to this day because they were stored in leather bags “The leather in 1912 was so strong so sturdy, and treated so well, that it survived for over 100 years on the ocean floor with almost no damage to the contents inside.” Seymour said.
These artifacts are only a part of the experience of the exhibit. Upon entry, you’ll receive a boarding pass and be given an identity of a real person who boarded the titanic Next, you’ll walkthrough what that person and others would have experienced on the ship with full room recreations. At the end, you’re boarding pass will tell you if you lived or died that fateful night. The exhibition begins June 2nd and tickets are on sale now.