Titanic Exhibit at the Reagan Library May 27, 2017 to January 7, 2018

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Original deck chair from the Titanic

Original deck chair from the Titanic

Titanic at the Reagan Library is a fascinating look at Titanic, combining real artifacts with the real stories of the people on board the ill-fated ship. This new exhibit tells the story of the unsinkable ship in a way no museum has done before. Artifacts from passengers, dispersed over time, will be reunited in this exhibit for the first time in over 100 years.

This brand-new 10,000 square foot exhibition, reuniting hundreds of Titanic artifacts that have not been together since the ship’s fateful night in 1912 with material and artifacts from the 1984-1985 discovery of the Titanic as well as with items from the 1997 movie, is a first-of-its-kind exhibition not seen anywhere else before. The exhibition was made possible through the generous support and assistance of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Cedar Bay Entertainment, parent company of The Titanic Museums of Pigeon Forge, TN and Branson, MO, and Lightstorm Entertainment/20th Century Fox.

Found in 1985 during President Reagan’s administration, the Titanic quickly became a dive site for many different companies and explorers trying to get a piece of her history.  To protect the historic site and preserve it for generations, President Reagan issued the 1986 RMS Titanic Memorial Act to designate the wreck as an international maritime memorial.

None of the artifacts displayed in this exhibition were salvaged from the wreck itself – a sacred final resting place.

A historic collection of real artifacts from the Titanic alongside items used in the discovery of the famed ship, Titanic at the Reagan Library combines real stories and real artifacts from the real people onboard the ship. Dramatically set with props, sets and costumes from the blockbuster movie about the RMS Titanic, it is a must-see collaboration of secrets, cinema and artifacts!

Highlights include:

  • “Alvin” – the titanium submersible sphere that brought Dr. Bob Ballard down to the wreckage of Titanic; the first such submersible to do so
  • Sheet music for “Narcissus” which was found on the body of Wallace Hartley, the Titanic’s bandleader who refused to stop playing, even as the ship began to sink
  • A deck chair from the Titanic, one of only eight known to exist, as well as the only known “widow’s seat” deck chair from the Carpathia
  • The only known complete set of boarding documents and tickets from the Titanic
  • John Jacob Astor IV’s pocket watch, found on his body days after the Titanic sank, and his wife’s life vest she wore to her safety
  • The claim form from Margaret Brown (otherwise known as “The Unsinkable Molly Brown”) and the Egyptian Talisman she carried off the ship
  • Marion Wright Woolcott’s wool coat; the one she wore when she escaped in lifeboat 9, then later wore to her wedding; then later cut strips of fabric from to make Bible covers for her three sons as they served overseas
  • Pocket watch and pocket knife recovered from the body of Oscar Woody, one of the five mail clerks onboard the Royal Mail Ship (RMS) Titanic
  • Original film footage of the Titanic’s maiden voyage and the Mackay-Bennett’s recovery mission
  • Movie sets, props and costumes from the blockbuster movie about the RMS Titanic, including a full-size life boat and Rose and Cal’s Suite
  • And so much more

This is not a traveling exhibition.  To see the story of the Titanic told in such a unique way, visitors must come to the Reagan Library.  Whether you are a fan of genuine history or larger-than-life Hollywood, this is truly an once-in-a-lifetime exhibition that sheds light on the Titanic in a first-ever way no museum has attempted before!

Learn more at www.reaganfoundation.org.