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| Louis Intres, a retired banker, teaches history in Arkanas |
Louis Intres and
others who hope to build a permanent museum about the Civil War’s Sultana
disaster believe they are on a mission to keep a small – but dramatic -- part
of American history alive.
“A great
story like this can’t be allowed to die,” said Intres, who has been hired by
the city of Marion, Ark., to lead an effort to raise nearly $3 million to build
a modern venue.
The steamboat, chugging north on the Mississippi River, exploded
and caught fire on April 27, 1865, killing about 1,800 passengers and crew
(although some say the figure was lower). Many
of those on board were released Union prisoners, many from Andersonville, heading home at war’s end.
Marion was the closest
community to where the overcrowded 260-foot sidewheeler came to rest and residents – including an ancestor of Mayor Frank Fogleman -- helped rescue
those thrown into the chilly waters. (The wreckage is believed to be under a field
near the river.)
A couple decades ago, Sultana Disaster Museum supporters were at the starting line in their effort to
tell this story and bring some tourism to the town of about 12,500. The disaster
was little known, not helped by the fact that it got lost at the time in
headlines about the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.
A book by Memphis attorney
Jerry Potter in the early 1990s helped get the ball rolling. Marion, along with
a local historical society and the Association of Sultana Descendants and Friends, have since pushed the story of the Sultana with a small temporary museum, special events and participation in anniversary articles and television programs.
“It has been
a wonderful sleepy community near Memphis,” Intres said of Marion. “It is (now) seeking its own identity, maybe for the first time.”
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| Harper's Weekly illustration of the April 1865 disaster |
Intres, 68,
faces a daunting challenge, although supporters point to his 38-year banking
career, fundraising experience, Sultana knowledge and passion for the project –
he’s presented exhibits and given talks. Intres, an adjunct history instructor
at Arkansas State University, is wrapping up a Ph.D degree in heritage and
cultural studies.
A feasibility
study, delivered to the city last year, lays out the
opportunities and challenges that await in bringing in about 35,000 annual patrons. Officials know they will have to tap into the
Memphis tourism market. And many of those 10.5 million annual visitors don’t
come for history. They are more interested in food, music and the river.
Positives
-- The
strength of the Sultana Story: It much more than a story about war. It also was
the worst maritime disaster in U.S. history.
-- There are
a number of tools to spread the word and generate interest among other
audiences.
-- The museum
will benefit from its proximity to Memphis and the Memphis visitor market.
-- The
uniqueness and importance of the venue should garner support at the state
level.
Challenges
-- Getting
the word out about Sultana; building brand awareness.
-- Lack of
complementary attractions in Marion/Crittenden County.
-- Geographic
distribution of the resident market with the majority of the market population
on the eastern side of the river (Memphis).
-- Civil War
interest peaked during the sesquicentennial. The subject of the war not popular
with some demographics.
'It is a story of great magnitude'
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| (Courtesy of Gene Salecker) |
A small temporary museum on Washington Street (above) features a handful of
artifacts directly related to the disaster, a 14-foot replica of the steamboat
and associated items from survivors, including reunion items from the late 19th and early 20th century. Most were collected by Gene Salecker, a Sultana
author and lecturer. The museum has little marketing and draws no more than 100 visitors a month.
“It is
totally inadequate to tell the story of the Sultana,” said Intres. ”It is a
fine little community museum. This is a true American story. It is a story of
great magnitude.”
Haizlip Studio of Memphis designed the proposed $2.8 million permanent museum. The plan features 5,500 square feet for permanent exhibits, plus space
for changing attractions.
It features a large model of
the steamboat, a movie and several stations, with topics ranging from Civil War
prisons, the river, the building of the Sultana and
bribery/overcrowding.
(Salecker
and Potter have written about a kickback scheme between the
vessel's financially-strapped captain and an Army quartermaster, Lt. Col.
Reuben B. Hatch. According to Potter, the transport fee was $5 for an enlisted
man, $10 for an officer. Mason agreed to take the enlisted men for $3; Hatch
kept the $2.)
Intres, who
said the museum could open with phase one completed, said the Hatch story is
compelling and will be expanded to “show what a scoundrel he truly was.”
The story
goes that Ozias M. Hatch, his brother, and other Illinois lawyers were close to
Abraham Lincoln before he became president.
Ines and others believe he often asked for intercession from Lincoln, as
president, and others to have corruption allegations against Reuben dropped or to
give him job recommendations.
In the end, no one was formally held accountable for putting too many
men on the Sultana, despite documented concerns about the safety of one of the boat's boilers.
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| Courtesy of Haizlip Studio: Concept plan of Sultana Disaster Museum, which is planned to be located in Marion, Ark. Click to enlarge |
According to
the Evening Times newspaper in Crittenden County, the Marion
Advertising and Promotions Commission has agreed to spend $400,000 to help
build the museum and another $75,000 a year to help defray operating costs over
the next 10 years. Intres said the museum will not take away from city services
or be an extra burden on citizens.
He will begin reaching out soon to tourism and historical groups, corporations,
foundations and individuals. “My responsibility is to put together to put the
fundraising program to prepare the grant applications, as well as put together
the promotional packages to go to prospective … contributors to help fund it.”
“It will not
be built with a thousand small contributions. It will require large
contributions that will make sure American history is not lost,” said Intres. “We
seem to be moving away from patriotism, what our country is, and how it was
built.”
Everything riding on fundraising campaign
Mayor Fogleman
told the Evening Times that Intres, who lives an hour away in Jonesboro, is
being “being hired to eat, drink, and sleep Sultana. I expect him
to further our cause and make our present effort better and to help further
refine what we want to do with the new (museum).”
Intres said
he will continue teaching but will work a couple days a week in Marion. “This
is something I want to do to finish up my public life. I would like this to be
my swansong.”
Salecker said
Intres is the perfect person for a job that is part cheerleader, part business
development director.
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| Salecker with a model of the Sultana at museum |
“I know that the mayor of Marion and the Chamber of Commerce
members interviewed a number of people regarding the directorship but Louis was
the only one that had the knowledge about the Sultana, plus the banking
background and the contacts and experience needed to raise the necessary funds,”
Salecker said.
Intres said he expects the museum to be built, “but it will be totally contingent on
the success of this campaign.”
He said the
city and chamber are all in, with an agreement to meet every 90 days to make a
reality check. “As we go along, we will evaluate our progress.”
Back to his
passion. Intres is full of stories of what happened to those on the Sultana and
survivors who coped with the tragedy.
“You have
heroism,” he said. “It’s got intrigue. It has all the elements of a great,
great history story. If a movie could be made by Hollywood in a proper way, the
whole story, it would be a blockbuster film.”
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