National Civil War Naval Museum
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Port Columbus National Civil War Naval Museum –This new 40,000 square foot facility features two original Civil War military vessels, uniforms, equipment and weapons used by the Union and Confederate navies. Interactive exhibits including a Confederate ironclad ship simulator offer the visitor an opportunity to experience 19th century naval combat first hand. Port Columbus has special events scheduled throughout the year.
A sensational new Civil War naval flag exhibit is the most recent highlight at the National Civil War Naval Museum at Port Columbus. Museum Executive Director Bruce Smith said the new exhibit is unique in the nation. “This spectacular wall of color represents the largest display of navy related flags from the Civil War anywhere in the country,” said Smith. Fourteen flags representing ships and forts from the entire scope of the Civil War are seen in the new exhibit called, “Ramparts to Topmast: Flags of Triumph and Despair.”
But flags aren’t all that’s new at Port Columbus. Smith said the museum has just made plans to construct a full scale Civil War ship right outside the museum next to Victory Drive. “We know we’ve had a visibility issue, even though we have beautiful brick buildings. We are in a town full of interesting brick structures and it was time to let people know that this was the naval museum, before they even get to the door,” said Smith.
At more than 160 feet in length, the model of the USS Waterwitch will become a new landmark in Columbus. “The masts are nearly 90 feet tall and the ship will have side paddle wheels which will turn and smoke will come from the smokestack as well,” said Smith. The original ship was stationed as a blockader in Savannah during the war and was then captured in a Confederate Navy commando raid in 1864. Smith said the story was compelling since it involved a famous African-American, Moses Dallas, and then served in the Confederate Navy as well.
Because the naval museum is the only one in the country that tells the story of the navy during the Civil War, that makes it important, he said. "This is the only place where you can find out about this story," Smith said. "It's also a cutting edge Civil War museum with the latest technology. It's a total immersion experience."
The highlight of the museum is the 180-foot hull of the CSS Jackson, an ironclad ram, a boat set on put to fire in the Chattahoochee River by the Union troops of Gen. James Wilson. Also on display are what's left of the CSS Chattahoochee and an intact rowboat from the USS Hartford. Two models of the warships Monitor and Merrimac (the CSS Virginia) used in the Turner Broadcasting film "Ironclads" are among the hundreds of "incredible Civil War artifacts" scattered in the museum.
There is a battle experience theater that will put visitors right in the middle of a Civil War battle. Smith says the annual operating budget is a little over $500,000. There are six full-time and three part-time employees as well as docents. The museum also holds an annual symposium, summer camps and living history programs as well as special events. Another part of the Port Columbus operation that is growing rapidly is that of site rental. Smith said the museum regularly rents out its galleries for various events from weddings to business meetings. “You can even buy a cannon shot from our big gun overlooking the Chattahoochee River,” said Smith. Rentals now account for nearly ten percent of the museum’s annual revenue.