Over 270 artifacts from the Titanic are on display at the Milwaukee Public Museum . Mary Bridges, director of marketing and communications at the museum, says the exhibition includes items such as clothing, jewelry, plates and one of the biggest pieces recovered from the Titanic: a 3,000 pound piece of the ship's hull.
Does our fascination with the Titani c tragedy border on morbid? "You know, that has been brought up," says Bridges. "But . . . if this exhibit didn't exist, or if they hadn't found the wreck, this story couldn't continue on, and these people wouldn't be remembered."
Visitors to the Titanic exhibit are issued a boarding pass, in the name of an actual passenger on the ill-fated luxury liner. "There really is a human element to it, that's very, very touching," Bridges says. That final element of the exhibit is is a memorial wall where visitors learn whether or not the passenger whose name they carry survived the tragic collision with an iceberg. The Titanic display runs now through May 25th.
AUDIO: Bob Hague interview (4:00 MP3)
