He brought in a large drill and after going 37 feet underground, they hit something and pulled out the only core sample taken. Arabia Steamboat Museum That led to The Arabia Steamboat Museum in the City Market in Kansas City, Missouri, and sent Hawley on a continuing quest to find five other steamboats from the hundreds that sank in the river. According to Acts 27:39, the sailors on Paul's ship didn't recognize their location. If the Malta is excavated, it'll be in the winter. The collection in the Arabia was so vast that 25 years after the museum opened, artifacts are still being cleaned and restored; Hawley said revenue from ticket sales goes back into these efforts. From the very beginning, I have felt that with enough research, Biblical investigation, and on-site observation, we would stand a good chance of finding what no one to date has been able to find - the precise location of Paul's shipwreck along the coast of Malta. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. (Photo:Courtesy of the Arabia Steamboat Museum), As the cargo deck was gradually unearthed, so too was the remarkable scale of the find. Discovered by an unlikely team of amateur historians 45 feet beneath a Kansas cornfield, the Steamboat Arabia is one of the best-preserved shipwrecks He learned the dimensions of the boat 140 feet long by 22 feet wide measurements confirmed by the drilling on Saturday, are an exact match for the object under the field. Steamboat Arabia & Malta Featured In Shipwreck Documentary There is a relatively new network available for people who love learning and documentaries about a host of engaging topics. This coming Wednesday 10thFebruary, Malta will be celebrating the feast of St. Paul's Shipwreck. Pray about joining us! Receive top local news and columns every morning. We had a shoreline matching every detail of the eyewitness account in Acts 27, including a bay with a beach, a location where "two seas meet," and a sloping reef between the anchor site and the shore. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. Cold air preserves artifacts better than warm air, Hawley said. But the Great White Arabia was lost, along with all her precious cargo. Today the collection is so vast it is housed in a former fruit market in Kansas City that the team turned into a museum. Rather, it had come about by taking the Bible at face value, using it as a "road map" to guide our research, and then stepping out in faith and putting its details to the test in a tangible way. We recently completed the outlining of the Malta, says Hawley. The National Steamboat Museum will be the pre-eminent historical and educational facility of our nation's long-lost steamboats and the stories they carried. A 19th-century steamboat moored at a river bank. All her passengers were saved, except for a mule, chained to a sawmill on the ground deck. It was like Christmas every day, Hawley says. David Hawley takes measurements at different points of the Malta steamboat's outline on Saturday. Discovered by an unlikely team of amateur historians 45 feet beneath a Kansas cornfield, the Steamboat Arabia is one of the best-preserved shipwrecks in American history. How a Champagne-Laden Steamship Ended Up in a Kansas Cornfield. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). It wasnt tough to know where to start. Discoveries in the Black Sea: Pre-Flood Artifacts? There was no sign of the legendary hoard of gold and whiskey barrels. The vast engine boilers emerged, and the shape of the main deck gradually appeared from the earth. . This place is on the island of Malta in a body of water called "St. Paul's Bay," a tradition started by a priest in the 1500s but not supported in any way by historical evidence. Visiting the lab, I saw, among the artifacts being cleaned that day, a sawmill vise, cast-iron stove hinges and yet more shoes. >> THATS PRETTY EXCITING STUFF. But I wanted to know about steamboats.. >> THE ONLY THING TO DO, BREAK OUT THE METAL DETECTOR AND START WALKING. The land owner gave them permission to dig, but with the proviso that they were out in time so that he could sow crops in the spring. Working night and day, and funding their project themselveseach member of the team put in $10,000, supplemented by loans from local banksthey dug through the frost of Kansas winter nights. Digging up another boat, especially not knowing what is inside, is high-risk, he said. Hawley wasnt the first to come to Backes front door asking to search the property. (writer) Cast Produced by Film Editing by Joi Shilling Jeff Van Bockern See also MALTA BEND, MISSOURI IS HOME TO A SINGLE FOUR WAY STOP AND, A LOT OF CORN. We don't have any reviews for Cornfield Shipwreck. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. As the course of the river was altered decades later, the steamboat became preserved not under the muddy waters of the Missouri, but in a corn field. The Bible, however, places the location of Paul's shipwreck in a different area than the traditional site. Each time it came up, workers moved the portable rig another foot, later refilling the holes left behind and marking them with white paint. >> BEFORE I DID THIS, MY FAMILY RAN A HEATING AND AIR CONDITIONING BUSINESS. You need to be logged in to continue. When the mighty Steamboat Arabia sank near Kansas City on September 5, 1856, she carried 200 tons of mystery cargo. History Documentary hosted by Joi Shilling, published by Curiosity TV in 2019 - English narration [] Cover[] InformationCornfield Shipwreck Discovered by an unlikely team of amateur historians 45 feet beneath a Kansas cornfield, the Steamboat Arabia is one of the best-preserved shipwrecks in American history. Watch their journey below. In Malta Bend, Missouri, theres one that sank loaded down with expensive and rare trading goods, and its been underground for nearly 200 years. What we found was a classic first-century Roman anchor, as used on Alexandrian ships sailing on official Roman business in Paul's day. Hawley then decided to ask friends in construction and archaeology businesses for help verifying what's underground. HIS LATEST QUEST IS FOR AN EVEN GREATER PRIZE, AND HE KNEW EXACTLY WHERE TO START. Some of the freight was destined to unload in Independence, Missouri, for passage along the Santa Fe Trail to Bents Fort in Colorados southeast corner. Their first discovery was splintered spokes from one of the giant paddle wheels. Just as important to me is an obligation to mentor the next generation of producers to ensure that the important conversations continue. An eye-opening journey through the history, culture, and places of the culinary world. The Malta sunk in the Missouri River in 1841, and could be excavated as early as this fall. >> ITS THE BOAT AND ITS FULL OF STUFF. >> ITS UNIVERSAL THAT PEOPLE LOVE A TREASURE HUNTING STORY. I produce daily conversations to uplift and inspire the people of the Kansas City area to make the world a better place. Jim Backes owns 1,500 acres along the bend in the river where the water used to flow. >> PEOPLE SAY, I KNOW WHERE ITS AT. Winner will be selected at random on 04/01/2023. We don't have any cast added to this movie. The steamboat Malta sank in late August 1841 while loaded with Indian trading supplies for the American Fur Company. Guests will see the treasures recovered from the Arabia and watch preservationists restoring artifacts in our lab. Even more amazing, because he had no idea what he had found, the diver passed along one of the anchor stocks to a friend of the family - who now kept it on display in her local villa! We're doing a lot more right than we are wrong, he said. The town has a single four-way stop, a single restaurant and field after field of corn. The Church of St. Paul's Shipwreck is one of the oldest Roman Catholic parish churches in Malta and is dedicated to St. Paul's brief time on the island. Sign up here to receive our free digital version of Personal Update. The city of Malta Bend, Missouri, is named for the sunken ship. "It's the boat and it's full of stuff, Hawley said excitedly. Bringing the world into focusthrough the lens of Scripture. Lost for 132 years, its recovery in 1988 was like finding the King Tuts Tomb of the Missouri River. Whether its your first visit to this favorite Kansas City attraction or you come every year, the treasures of the Steamboat Arabia will connect you to American history in a new and exciting way. In February, a core sample unearthed black and red wool and window glass, Hawley said, but more samples need to be taken to better determine what the Malta holds. Over time, the Missouri River moved, and the area where the boat sank became part of the land, now covered by crops. After more than a year and around 300 miles of walking, Hawley had a strong hit. Preserved fillings for fruit pies. Visiting the collection of treasure rescued from the Arabia, the scope of the artifacts is staggering. Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. But with the Arabia Museum "bursting at the seams," until a new space is found that can accommodate all future boats, the Malta, the Radnor, their cargo and the stories they tell of America's westward expansion remain buried. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. And Hawley has found some. The drill cranked 37 feet down. Hawley has been searching for steamboat wrecks up and down the Missouri River for more than 30 years. The Malta is resting under a cornfield near the town named for it, Malta Bend, and the Radnor remains under the Missouri's waters near Boonville. A 19th-century steamboat moored at a river bank. Is Cornfield Shipwreck streaming? Error! The newspapers said the Malta had gone down about two miles from Laynesville, a small town a few miles north of Malta Bend that has since disappeared as the Missouri River changed course. On September 5, 1856 about an hour north of Kansas City, the Arabia hit the sharp snag, and within minutes lay at the bottom of the Missouri River. The boat, built inPittsburgh in 1839, had left St. Louis for Council Bluffs, Iowa. The town has a single four-way stop, a single restaurant and field after field of corn. This article was originally published in the He brought in a large drill and after going 37 feet underground, they hit something and pulled out the only core sample taken. "If we can find and secure a location, we'll dig it next year, he said. It appeared that the Arabia occupied an area about the length of a football field, but was located 45 feet underground. In August, 1856, the Great White Arabia was chartered for a run from St. Louis to Omaha City, Nebraska. The only town I know of that was named for a steamboat, Hawley said. Not by the cleverness of any individual, and certainly not by assuming that the Bible cannot be trusted. Discovered by an unlikely team of amateur historians 45 feet beneath a Kansas cornfield, the Steamboat Arabia is one of the best-preserved shipwrecks in American history. That same year, he found his first boat, the Missouri Packet, whose engine is now at the museum. During the latter half of the 19th century, the Corps of Engineers undertook projects to forcibly alter the shape of the Missouri River. Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. As it turns out, Luke's careful record of the voyage and shipwreck argue convincingly against the traditional "St. Paul's Bay," where no artifacts have ever been found, though professionals have searched for them. The treasures contained within painting a vivid picture of western expansion and the treacherous frontier. Thank you for reading! Several years ago, he turned his eyes on the Malta, which sank in 1841 after hitting a tree in the river -- a common fate for boats back then. 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