Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition opened at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey, after ten years.
The exhibition will run until September 1, 2025, and give visitors a chance to learn about the RMS Titanic, one of the most famous ships in history, through over 130 real artifacts recovered from the wreck site.
Visitors enter with a replica boarding pass that assigns them the identity of a real Titanic passenger.
As they move through the exhibition, they follow the ship’s journey from its construction in 1909 to its departure on April 10, 1912, and its sinking on April 15, 1912, after hitting an iceberg.
One part of the exhibition allows guests to touch an indoor iceberg, which shows how cold the Atlantic water was when the Titanic sank in the early morning hours of April 15.
Another feature is the logometer, which measures the ship’s daily distance.
It still shows the reading from the night Titanic went down.
- Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at Liberty Science Center runs until September 1, 2025.
- A 20-pound crushed chandelier from the first-class smoking lounge recovered in 1987 is displayed for the first time alongside personal belongings, ship parts, and the logometer from the night Titanic sank.
- Visitors receive a replica boarding pass of a real Titanic passenger and discover whether they survived.
Artifacts from the Wreck Site
For the first time, Liberty Science Center displays a 20-pound crushed chandelier from the first-class smoking lounge.
The chandelier, recovered in 1987, is dented and damaged but still has its gold patina.
It once hung in an area where the wealthiest passengers gathered.
Other artifacts include jewelry, clothing, shoes, silverware, champagne bottles, and ship fragments.
A Personal Connection to History
At the end of the exhibition, visitors learn if the person on their boarding pass survived the disaster.
This makes the experience more personal and helps people understand the human side of the tragedy.
The exhibition also features replica models of Titanic, including a detailed scale model of the iceberg that caused the disaster.
These models show the ship’s design and the size of the iceberg in comparison.
The Debate Over Titanic’s Artifacts
The display of artifacts from Titanic has led to debate.
Many believe the wreck should be left undisturbed as a maritime grave, whereas others argue that recovering and preserving artifacts educates future generations.
The exhibition explains the scientific and engineering challenges involved in bringing these objects to the surface and conserving them.
Titanic was one of the most advanced ships, but its sinking exposed flaws in design, safety measures, and human decision-making.
The exhibition helps visitors understand how this disaster changed ship safety rules and led to better passenger protection on modern ships.
Visiting the Exhibition
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition requires an additional $8 ticket along with general admission to Liberty Science Center.
The center, located in Liberty State Park, is a 300,000-square-foot educational facility near the Statue of Liberty.
More details, including ticket prices and visiting hours, are available at LSC.org.
