|
 Searching the ocean floor for shipwrecks has carried
Greg Stemm around the world. Now his search has come full circle as the local
heritage museum in his family's hometown proudly displays his company's Civil
War era find. Shipwreck! Treasures from the SS Republic is now on display at
the Baldwin County Heritage Museum.
The discovery of the wreck, the high-tech exploration and the recovery
efforts have all garnered worldwide media attention, including an hour-long National
Geographic program. The 19-month exploration yielded more than 14,000 artifacts
and 51,000 coins. As one of the most valuable shipwreck coin collections of United
States gold and silver currency ever found, these coins are valued in excess of
$75 million. The rarest coin in the collection is worth more than half a million dollars.
The SS Republic was built
in 1853 and was launched into commercial service as the Tennessee. It was captured by Confederate troops in 1861
then re-captured the following year by Union forces. As the flagship of Admiral
David Farragut, the vessel participated in the Battle of Mobile Bay (August 1864)
when Farragut issued his famous command "Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead!"
in the waters between Forts Morgan and Gaines.
Following the war, the Republic
was sold to a private investment group and was carrying reconstruction supplies
from New York to New Orleans when it was sunk off the Georgia coast during a hurricane in 1865.
You can view Shipwreck! Treasures from the SS Republic Thursdays through Saturdays
from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the second and fourth Sunday from noon to 5:00
p.m. Exhibit admission is $12.00 for adults, $10.00 for seniors, $8.00 for children
(age 2-12). Reservations are recommended. The Baldwin County Heritage Museum is
located between Mobile and Pensacola on Highway 98 in Elberta about 3.5 miles
east of the Beach Express. | 
Celebrate the sultan of seafood. The prince of
prawns. The duke of delicacies. Shrimp rules on Alabama's Gulf Coast and we invite
you to come hold court with the King of Crustaceans during the 
Watch as the original snowbirds stop off to check their flight
gear in preparation for their migration to the southern hemisphere. 
