In 1856 the steamboat Arabia hit a snag in the Missouri River near Parkville and sank with 222 tons of cargo. In 1988, Dave Hawley and friends excavated the steamboat. The river had shifted course and the Arabia was buried in a cornfield, 45 feet deep. Dave and his friends were treasure hunters when they started out but as they became aware of the exceptional nature of the cargo, they decided to keep it all together, and share it with the public through the Arabia Steamboat Museum in downtown Kansas City. The museum is the #3 tourist attraction in Kansas City. The 222 tons of cargo make up the definitive type collection of domestic frontier artifacts for the period - almost all whole and complete and perfectly preserved in anerobic conditions. Approximately 60 tons are still in storage or are currently undergoing conservation.

The museum's lease will be up in 2026. The owners would like the collection to stay together but they would also like to be paid fair market value for it - the collection is currently being professionally appraised. And other steamboats have been located for potential excavation. Dave's vision is to eventually excavate a steamboat from each decade of the Steamboat Era (roughly 1820-1870) and tell the story of the Western Expansion and the steamboat's role in that process through the material culture of the ships and their cargo.

The museum website is here: A Historic Kansas City Attraction | The Arabia Steamboat Museum (1856.com)<https://www.1856.com/>

A documentary on the museum is here: Watch Cornfield Shipwreck | Prime Video (amazon.com)<https://www.amazon.com/Cornfield-Shipwreck-Shane-Seley/dp/B07XMCMSJY>

Do you think there are any universities or other organizations that might be interested in 1) Purchasing the Arabia collection; 2) Maintaining the Arabia collection together as a museum; 3) Funding the excavation of another steamboat (possibly offsetting costs through a documentary of the process)?

Curious to hear HISTARCH subscribers thoughts.


John Fulmer
Cultural Resources Section Manager
Environmental Services
Burns & McDonnell
9400 Ward Parkway
Kansas City, MO 64114
Cell: 832.671.1838
Office: 816.276.1535


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