The RMS Titanic struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage and sank on April 15, 1912. More than 1,500 passengers and crew members lost their lives. It has become one of the most famous disasters of all time.
What was it like to be on board the Titanic? Julie Hedgepeth Williams knows because her great-uncle, Albert Caldwell, was a passenger on the Titanic. He, his wife, and his young son survived the sinking. Julie grew up listening to her great-uncle recount the events of that horrific evening. At 6 PM on July 18 at the Museum of Coastal Carolina, Julie will tell the story of the Titanic as her great-uncle told it to her firsthand, followed by the part that he never told anyone – the part he kept secret and that she only found out by research. The research keeps revealing new details about her family’s survival of this tragic event.
Julie Hedgepeth Williams is a journalism professor at Samford University and an author. Her most recent books include A Rare Titanic Family: The Caldwells’ Story of Survival and Wings of Opportunity: The Wright Brothers in Montgomery, Alabama, 1910. Her family has vacationed in Ocean Isle Beach for many years.
The Museum of Coastal Carolina is located at 21 East Second Street, Ocean Isle Beach, NC. Admission to the museum is free for members. Non-member all-day admission is $9.50 for adults, $8.50 for seniors, $7.50 for children (3-12), and free for age 2 and under. A 7-day vacation pass is just $75 for two adults and up to four children. Free admission for active duty military and disabled veterans plus up to one guest, must include military ID cardholder. For more information about the Museum of Coastal Carolina, call 910-579-1016 or visit www.MuseumPlanetarium.org.