David Hawley, owner of the Arabia Steamboat Museum, said he’s unsure of the museum's future but knows that it won’t be in Kansas City’s River Market.
“The decision was made by the city,” Hawley told KCUR’s Up To Date.
The museum’s lease expires in 2026. Hawley said that Kansas City has other plans for the space.
“I was able to meet with the city manager recently, and they've decided that they want to have other ideas for that area,” Hawley said. “They don't know for sure, I don't believe, but they're quite sure that they want to do something besides the museum.”
The Steamboat Arabia sank in the Missouri River in 1856 with more than 200 tons of cargo. The Hawley family and friends discovered and excavated the boat in 1988, more than 130 years later.
Buried more than 75 feet beneath a cornfield, half a mile from the river, the ship's cargo contained the start of new beginnings in 16 Midwestern frontier towns. It’s the largest single collection of pre-Civil War artifacts in the world.
Where the museum goes next is still undetermined, but Hawley said he’s exploring options in Leavenworth, Kansas, and at Marshall Junction in Missouri. A previous effort to build a new museum in St. Charles, Missouri, fell through.
Wherever the location Hawley intends for it to be large enough to incorporate artifacts from other sunken river boats that have yet to be excavated. Hawley has talked about the idea of building a National Steamboat Museum for several years.
“[T]here's another boat or two, I wouldn't mind digging up and adding to the collection,” Hawley said. “So there's other options, I think, and we're in hunt of such a thing.”
- David Hawley, owner, Arabia Steamboat Museum
