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An examiner.com exclusive: Titanic Pigeon Forge prepares for voyage
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Titanic Pigeon Forge is in sepia brown. The original Titanic is shown in grey, insert
Part 1 of 2
“This is not an amusement park or attraction,” is the first thing Mary Kellogg tells a visitor. “This is a memorial to the people of Titanic.” You can see, the moment you are in the Preview Center, the 30,000 square foot project of Titanic Pigeon Forge is serious.
Danita Brown, Vice President of Operations and visiting from Titanic Branson, explains to a visitor the temperature and effects of the water “on the victims the night she sank on April 14, 1912 at around 12:40am when the first lifeboat, # 7, was launched.” Another guide, Preview Center Manager Lorene Boatner, compares the 1912 costs of a first class cabin to 2009 American dollars. When Titanic Pigeon Forge drops its gangplank in spring of 2010, visitors, “will feel like they are on Titanic,” says Co-owner Kellogg, from receipt of a passenger “ticket” to touching an “ice wall.”
Mary Kellogg must have inherited the spirit of Titanic Chief Designer Thomas Andrews. Andrews knew every bolt, every minuscule detail. He referred to the shipyard laborers as “my real pals” and was known to stand up for them, from shipyard labor to worker’s rights, despite socially enforced class differences. Employees and partners alike said he was warm, honest, knowledgeable, and he loved Titanic. Mary Kellogg knows Titanic Pigeon Forge. After working at the helm of Walt Disney marketing for over 30 years, she now pilots this project with warmth and style. “She’s wonderful!” Says Lorene Boatner. Danita Brown echoes the sentiment, adding, “She can tell you everything about this museum. And more.” Kellogg gave examiner.com an exclusive tour of Titanic Pigeon Forge under construction, the first tour of its kind. She does not need a map. She greets the construction crew by first name, and they smile and wave back warmly. From the construction worker who drills the bolts to Co-owner John Joslyn, (president of Cedar Bay Entertainment, parent company of Branson’s Titanic Museum Attraction), this is a labor of love.
Boarding Titanic Pigeon Forge
“Ken Marschall is the Titanic artist,” Mary Kellogg says excitedly as we enter what will be the main hallway. “His paintings will be hung in the entryway,” and on opening day he’ll be on board. It is difficult to discern Marschall’s paintings from photographs. His love of the nautical is evident in his art.
“We found people want to see the inside of the ship,” Mary Kellogg explains how research went into customer relations. So, for the first time in the world, Titanic Pigeon Forge will feature a section of interactive cutaways of the internal ship sections featuring simulations of actual passengers in various areas. Push a button and see John Jacob Astor in the gymnasium. “The story comes to life.”
A room currently composed of steel girders will be “The Father Browne Room,” featuring the photographs of Father Francis Browne, who took the last photographs of Titanic, to include Captain Smith. “Without Father Browne, there would be no photographs of Titanic (at sea),” Mary Kellogg says, respect in her voice. The discovery of these photographs is a legend in itself.
Isidor and Ida Strauss’ first class cabin is being recreated as an exhibit (this is the room used in James Cameron’s film, for the scenes of Rose Dewitt’s cabin). The Strauss’s refused to leave one another as the ship was sinking and died together. It is a story that sobers you, and defines love. The opulence of the ship is characterized here, particularly the craftsmanship.
The Wheelhouse will be recreated, so visitors can see what it was like to be here the night the message was received: “iceberg…” Standing with Mary Kellogg, right now you are looking into a blank wall and imagining where the polished telegraphs will be placed. But there is still a chill in the air…
Next: continuing the tour: starry nights and shoveling coal: part 2 of an exclusive
Original photographs by J. Yates may not be copied without artist’s permission
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