Titanic Crashes Indy
All aboard the Titanic. I’m a 59-year-old woman, a first class passenger. I am coming back home after attending a funeral. At least, that’s what my boarding pass said upon entering the “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” at the Indiana State Museum.
After recieving your boarding pass, you become that person throughout the entire exhibit. The 7,000-square-foot exhibit is broken into several rooms filled with more than 240 artifacts from the sunken ship, two-and-a-half miles below the surface of the North Atlantic Ocean.
These artifacts range from parts of the ship, such as sinks and tiles from various rooms, to personal items, such as mirrors, razors or postcards. Seeing the personal items and realizing that they belonged to someone who was on the luxurious Titanic in 1912 is chilling.
A painting on display as part of “Titanic: The Artifact Expedition” at the Indiana State Museum open until January 16. Photo contributed by RMS Titanic/Indiana State Museum.
The exhibit does a good job of showing the differences between first-class and third-class passengers. There are replicated rooms on the Titanic for the different social classes. There were also menus up for the meals they had. First-class had elaborate meals, while those in third-class would have more simple meals on less exquisite dishes. Different floor tiles and decorations adorned the separate rooms as well.
The first-class room had a sitting area and a nice, big bed, while the third class room was cramped with two separate bunk beds. The calculations are done for you outside the first-class room, and first-class passengers paid from $40,000 to $90,000 [today’s value] to be on the Titanic.
There are sounds and temperature changes throughout the exhibit that bring it to life. As you near the end of the exhibit, it gets colder, and you know danger is coming. Ice warnings are seen as you enter a chilly room with an iceberg that you can touch, to get an idea of how cold the water was on that unfortunate night, – 28 degrees Fahrenheit. There are personal quotes and stories on the wall that showcase the horror felt in the wake of the tragedy.
One quote from a story was about a woman who knew her safety was of importance after hearing the call for women and children to get on a lifeboat but knew that she would have to leave her true love behind and start a new life. Others were from the captain saying that the ship would be in no danger. Reading the quotes is an extremely emotional experience.
The last room of the exhibit contains a memorial wall that tells you whether the passenger on your boarding pass survived. I survived, but I was in the minority.
This exhibit runs until Jan. 16. Tickets can be purchased from the Indiana State Museum Web site at indianamuseum.org or at the museum. Prices are $18 for adults and $15 for children. The Indiana State Museum is located at 650 W. Washington Street, a 15-minute drive from campus.
