Submerged in the Ohio River between Brandenburg, Ky., and Mauckport, Ind., is a Civil-War-era Union steamboat captured and sunk by the Confederates.
IU alumnus Clarence Merck said he is on a mission to recover and refurbish the sunken Alice Dean and turn the wreck into a floating museum.
Merck, a 1964 telecommunications graduate, said he has been doing historical research in Harrison County, which is in southern Indiana along the Ohio River, for many years and described the Alice Dean as an undiscovered national treasure.
Merck said a northern crew was heading upstream aboard the Alice Dean in July 1863 when Confederate General John Hunt pulled up and took control of the ship.
“There was a military battle to prevent General John Hunt Morgan from crossing the river, but it was erased from history because the South won the battle,” he said.
Merck said Morgan pillaged the Alice Dean and then torched it so it could no longer be used.
Merck said the surrounding community has largely ignored the sunken vessel for many years because it is unclear which side of the river is responsible for it and because of the complexities in obtaining the correct permits for its recovery.
He described the area as similar to Appalachia in that families have lived there for generations, and the community has not been able to progress economically.
“There’s a lot of history here, but it’s been forgotten,” he said. “What we have left is the vessel.”
Merck said he hopes to raise the Alice Dean and then build a replica barge to transport visitors to see the original ship.
“For the first time in 155 years, you will be able to cross to Indiana from Brandenburg, Ky., just like the general,” he said.
Merck said the tourism resulting from the floating museum will help revitalize the community.
“It’s a great opportunity for the locals,” he said.
Merck said he has brought the project as far as he can, but now he needs more people involved.
“I’ve uncovered all the history, registered it as a historical site and have all the names and stories,” he said.
Merck said his hurdle now is to raise the funds to carry out his mission.
“If I was a Donald Trump, it would be a piece of cake,” he said.
Merck said he hopes members of the IU community will be fascinated by his cause and will want to join him in any capacity.
“If I can even get a dozen people who are passionate, we will get this done,” he said. “We’re Hoosiers.”
