News & Events
The Sultana Historical Preservation Society Names Jeff Kollath as Executive Director
May 30, 2024
Marion, Ark. – Today, the Sultana Historical Preservation Society announced the hiring of its first Executive Director, Jeff Kollath. Kollath joins SHPS with vast experience in museum management and development, having successfully led Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, Tenn. as its Executive Director for the past nine years.
Prior to leading Stax, Kollath served in leadership roles at Wisconsin Veterans Museum, Milwaukee County Historical Society and University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for the Humanities. Kollath has extensive knowledge in grant writing, budget development, facilities management, public speaking, exhibit development and design.
“As a museum professional, one of my greatest joys has been uncovering, interpreting, and telling the stories of everyday people and their extraordinary lives,” Kollath said. “There are thousands of stories to be told in this new museum. The Sultana Disaster is something that still reverberates generations later, and I look forward to working with the board and others in making this important story come alive in our museum for guests of all ages."
Kollath has a passion for making history come alive through high-quality exhibitions, immersive educational experience and free, accessible programming.
“With the hiring of Jeff Kollath we have ensured that the new Sultana Disaster Museum will have an experienced leader who knows museums, knows the Mid-South and knows the importance of a museum telling the stories of everyday people,” President John Fogleman said. “We are beyond excited to have Jeff join our team in telling the story of the deadliest maritime disaster in American history.”
Kollath will officially begin serving as Executive Director on July 1.
New Sultana Museum could open by April 2025
March 4, 2024
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After years of fundraising, the Sultana Historical Preservation Society — the nonprofit behind the museum — hired Memphis-based Zellner Construction to do a $6.3 million renovation of the old Marion High School, located just a few blocks away from the existing museum.
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The nonprofit hit its $10 million fundraising goal through a million-dollar grant from the U.S. Economic Development Agency; a million-dollar grant from FedEx; a $500,000 grant from the Delta Regional Authority; and a $750,000 pledge of state funding from Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchison, among other donations."
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Read the full article from the Daily Memphian here.
Sultana Museum Close to Expansion
December 17, 2023
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"A $10 million project to develop the site aims to fix that. It’s an effort that’s been years in the making, with at least another year and a half to go, but those involved in the effort say it will help them to preserve and retell the stories of those who were aboard the doomed vessel in a way they simply couldn’t before.
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The Marion-based Sultana Disaster Museum came one step closer last week to realizing that dream when they opened bids on the construction of the new facility, with plans to break ground early next year, and expanded their board by three members."
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Read the entire article from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette here.
The Sultana Historical Preservation Society Announces the Appointment of Three New Board Members
December 11, 2023
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Today, the Sultana Historical Preservation Society announced the appointment of three new members to the Board of Directors. This brings the number of board members to 15.
The new board members are Dara Rhodes Bigger, Nick Sutton and Meg Earney Webb.
“The Sultana Historical Preservation Society is excited about the addition of Dara Rhodes Bigger, Nick Sutton and Meg Earney Webb to its Board of Directors,” President John Fogleman said. “SHPS is committed to building a first-class museum to remember the Sultana and to honor and remember her soldiers. We hope this museum will be one that every citizen of Crittenden County can be proud of.”
Dara Rhodes Bigger has lived in Marion for 24 years and currently serves as the Director of the Arkansas Seed Dealers Association and the Interim Project Director for the Sultana Historical Preservation Society. Prior to these roles, Dara worked in Youth Ministry for 20 years.
Nick Sutton is a lifelong resident of Marion, Ark. He is President of First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas with over 20 years of experience in the banking industry.
Meg Earney Webb is a lifelong resident of Crittenden County and the owner of Meg Webb Consulting. She has nine years of experience in non-profit marketing and communications.
“Each of our new board members are deeply invested in our community and bring special talents to our Board,” Fogleman said.
About The Sultana Historical Preservation Society
The Sultana Historical Preservation Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in charge of the Sultana Disaster Museum and all projects and fundraising related to the new facility.
About The Sultana Disaster Museum
The Sultana Disaster Museum tells the story of the tragedy that occurred on April 27, 1865, and the events that led up to that fateful night. The museum is committed to telling the full story of the steamboat, from its construction to its destruction and beyond. Stories of the men who were freed from Andersonville and Cahaba prisoner of war camps and how and why they were grossly overcrowded onto one steamboat are told in great detail. Compelling accounts from the victims on board the Sultana, rescuers along the Mississippi River, as well as many Union officers involved in the selection and overcrowding of the boat are on display in the museum.
For more information, please email John Fogleman at foglemanforcourt@yahoo.com or visit https://www.sultanadisastermuseum.com/. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Nick Sutton
Meg Earney Webb
Dara Rhodes Bigger
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FedEx to Donate $1 Million to Sultana Museum
June 2, 2023
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FedEx officials informed officers of the Sultana Historical Preservation Society (SHPS) this week that they would be making a million-dollar donation to the society’s campaign to build a new Sultana Disaster Museum. This comes nearly eighteen months after FedEx initially announced their challenge grant to the museum, stipulating that if SHPS could raise $9 million of their own fundraising, FedEx would donate $1 million, with a deadline of May 31, 2023. By the end of May, SHPS had a cumulative total of $9,296,594 in funds raised, officially earning them the FedEx grant. This million-dollar award comes with special significance as it completes the museum’s $10 million dollar goal for total construction costs.
The new museum, expected to go out for bid this month, will feature a state-of-the-art interactive exhibit, an orientation theater, a research library, a classroom for educational programming, and an auditorium for community events, in addition to administrative offices. The project cost is estimated to be $6.7M for initial building renovations and $3.3M for exhibit construction. An additional $3M will be raised to go into an operations reserve fund.
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With the generous donation from FedEx coupled with the wide array of other donations collected since the capital campaign began in 2020, the story of the Sultana is now all but guaranteed to be told at a level that suits the significance of its history. The new Sultana Disaster Museum is slated to open in early 2025, in time for the 160th anniversary of the disaster on April 25.
Exhibit to Be Named for Late Docent Rosalind O'Neal
February 7, 2023
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The Sultana Disaster Museum announced this week that they will be naming an exhibit in their new museum for the late Rosalind O’Neal, who passed away on November 1, 2022. O’Neal had been a manager and docent at the temporary museum since its opening in 2015 and an outspoken supporter of the project from its earliest stages. After her passing, the members of the Sultana Historical Preservation Society announced a community fundraising campaign to raise $25,000 to have the “Camp Fisk & Prison Exchange” exhibit named after O’Neal, one of the many subjects on which she was extremely knowledgeable. The campaign received contributions both from community members who knew her well and past museum visitors who had enjoyed the opportunity to learn from her tours. In just over two months, the funds necessary for the naming opportunity had been raised, and now the new Sultana Disaster Museum, a project into which O’Neal put her heart and soul, will feature an exhibit that bears her name once it opens.
Museum Breaks Ground on New Facility
November 16, 2022
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On Friday morning, November 11, the Sultana Historical Preservation Society broke ground at the new site of the Sultana Disaster Museum, the former 1939 Marion High School Gymnasium and Auditorium. The ceremony included remarks from Senator Keith Ingram, Congressman Rick Crawford, Senator John Boozman, and Former US Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater. Donors, local officials, history buffs and museum enthusiasts alike crowded the seats of the historic space to celebrate the official kickoff of the renovations and construction project. Click the links below to read two of the major news articles published on the event.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The Daily Memphian
Sultana Disaster Museum Announces Groundbreaking
October 25, 2022
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Just weeks after receiving a $500,000 grant from the Delta Regional Authority, the Sultana Disaster Museum in Marion was able to raise enough additional funds to cross the $6 million fundraising goal set for initial construction costs. With that, the Sultana Historical Preservation Society has announced a groundbreaking ceremony set for Friday, November 11 at the site of the new museum, the former Marion High School Gymnasium & Auditorium at 54 Military Road. The event will commence at 10:00am and will feature three keynote speakers: former US Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater, Senator John Boozman, and State Senator Keith Ingram. Mayor of Marion Frank Fogleman and retired Judge John Fogleman, both descendants of rescuers during the Sultana disaster, will be offering opening remarks, in addition to incoming mayor Tracy Brick, who will speak as well.
Sultana Museum gets significant funding, nears Phase I goal
October 3, 2022
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It was announced Friday that the Sultana Disaster Museum in Marion would be the recipient of a $508,910 investment from the Delta Regional Authority. The organization, which serves to increase jobs in and better the economy of 252 counties and parishes across eight states, had $2.6 million allocated to invest in Arkansas projects that would benefit the Delta region. The DRA saw the Sultana Disaster Museum as a worthy investment due to the anticipated economic impact the new museum will have on Marion and the surrounding area. The museum, which tells the story of the steamboat Sultana and the events that led up to its demise that killed over 1,100 people, was one of only seven projects in the state selected to receive funding from the $2.6 million.
With this investment, the Sultana Historical Preservation Society now sits at $5,976,859 in their capital campaign, just around $23,000 shy of their $6 million goal for initial construction and renovation costs of the existing structure (the historic 1939 Marion High School Gymnasium & Auditorium) in which the museum will be housed. With the end goal for this phase of the campaign in sight, SHPS expects to break ground on the new Sultana Disaster Museum before the end of the year. Once construction is underway, the next phase of fundraising will commence, with the museum aiming to raise another $4 million to build the actual exhibit within the building. The final phase on the capital campaign will raise another $3 million to go into an endowment for operational and promotional costs for the new museum upon opening. SHPS anticipates the new museum to open its doors by the end of 2023.
Tacker's Shake Shack Supports Sultana Museum
August 25, 2022
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Tacker’s Shake Shack is one of the most well-known restaurants in the region and is one of biggest attractions in the City of Marion. However, they don’t keep all the attention for themselves – they have consistently used their business to help promote another major tourist attraction for Marion: the Sultana Disaster Museum. For several years now, the Shake Shack has supported the museum by advertising for them in their restaurant, with photos of the Sultana on the wall and brochures for the museum by the front entrance. They even have a food challenge named for the museum: the mighty Sultana Burger – a two-pound burger with chili, hashbrowns, bacon, eggs, and layers of cheese. In return, Sultana Disaster Museum employees have been recommending the Shake Shack to just about every visitor who walks through the museum doors.
Both institutions have had major impacts on Marion and the surrounding area. The Shake Shack routinely brings in customers from all over the globe, while the Sultana Museum has had visitors from all fifty states and fourteen foreign countries. Furthermore, a 2016 study from Owen Economics, which was updated in 2021 by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, estimated that the new Sultana Disaster Museum will attract an estimated 50,000 visitors a year and is anticipated to create 88 new jobs that will generate an estimated $2.2 million in wages. The museum is also expected to create approximately $3 million in revenue for Marion and Crittenden County. It is also believed that tourism to Marion will likely encourage travelers to visit other notable sites in Northeast Arkansas.
In December of 2021, Shake Shack made their biggest show of support yet by pledging $25,000 to the efforts to construct a new museum housed within the historic 1939 Marion High School Gymnasium & Auditorium. Continuing to foster the partnership, the Sultana Historical Preservation Society recently provided the Shake Shack with a banner to display in the restaurant with details about the current and future museum. Thursday, former director Tracy Brick visited the Shake Shack to deliver the banner along with her successors, Wyly Bigger (Director of Special Projects) and Melody Walker (Director of Planning & Operations). Norman Vickers, a long-time support of the Sultana project and a former docent at the museum, was also present.
