ELBERTA, Ala. — The Baldwin County Heritage Museum announced yesterday that it will be the home of Odyssey’s Shipwreck! Treasures from the SS Republic starting August 31.

Odyssey’s Shipwreck and Treasure Exhibit has been developed specifically for the museum, and will allow residents and tourists the opportunity to experience a piece of Civil War history.

“What a great, great treasure to have in our backyard,” said Edith Partner, communications manager for the Alabama Tourism Department, at a press conference at the museum on Tuesday.

The exhibit will feature video footage and images of the 1,700 feet deep wreck in the Atlantic. Authentic historical artifacts recovered from the wreck will be displayed, including pieces from a collection of 51,000 gold and silver coins and almost 14,000 artifacts.

“This is a story of your history,” said Becky Holliday, education director for the museum and curator of the new exhibit. “This is a story of the deep South.”

The first exhibit will feature six categories of items from the wreckage and will focus on the Civil War. Subjects like religion and construction will be displayed.

Artifacts and information will change throughout the exhibit's duration to insure new experiences for visitors.

Footage of the explorations will give visitors the opportunity to experience the Odyssey dives.

Hands on education will be offered to students, and lessons will be offered in the classroom to preface trips to the exhibit.

The captain’s diary was recovered, which depicts the days and experience of the ship sinking, and visitors will have the ability to hear the captain's account of the ship's descent.

The SS Republic was discovered in August of 2003 by the Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. company. The Civil War-era side-wheel steamship played a prominent role in the Battle of Mobile Bay before being lost off the coast of Georgia during a hurricane.

In 1865, while en route to New Orleans from New York, the SS Republic sank, taking with it gold and silver coins, as well as a vast amount of goods and cargo, destined to rebuild the devastated South.

Due to its depth and location, the shipwreck site remained untouched by scavengers. The Odyssey team worked to properly document each piece of the ship's history, creating the ability to produce an informed exhibit.

Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. is a deep-ocean shipwreck exploration company. The exploration company is engaged in the archaeologically sensitive exploration and recovery of shipwrecks and uses innovative methods and state-of-the-art technology to conduct extensive search and archaeological recovery operations around the world, according to a press release concerning the exhibit.

The addition of the SS Republic exhibit will help secure the museum financial state, according to Holliday.

"This is a tough day and age for a museum to survive,” she said. "And that's why she is here.”

Holliday credits the decision to bring the SS Republic exhibit to Baldwin County to Greg Stemm, co-founder and current director of Operation for Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc.

Stemm, who spent some of his life on a family farm in the area, was eager to bring the exhibit to the county.

"It has long been a dream of mine to take Odyssey's shipwreck discoveries and the stories they tell and make them available to the public so that everyone can enjoy the amazing tales of our past told by these underwater time capsules,” wrote Stemm in a letter to the museum.

The exhibit is on an open-ended contract, and Holliday said it will remain at the museum as long as it is properly serving the community.

For more information about the SS Republic exhibit, find a link at the museum web site www.baldwincountyheritagemuseum.com.