Museum Collection

Come and see the replica of the Robert E. Lee Steamboat IN A BOTTLE!
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HISTORY : In the summer of 1870, the Robert E. Lee won a famed steamboat race against Natchez steamboat, going from New Orleans to St. Louis, Missouri, a distance of 1,154 miles.  John W. Cannon, the captain of Robert E. Lee, ensured victory by removing excess weight, carrying only a few passengers, and using prearranged barges to increase the speed of refueling.
A stern wheel replica named The Lt. Robert E. Lee was built in 1969  and moored as a popular floating restaurant in St. Louis. This boat was destroyed by fire in 2010.
Visitors are transported into a world in miniature through the skills of artisans from around the nation, as well as from many remarkably talented local miniaturists. Scales range from 1:6 (for “Barbie” -sized dolls) and 1:12 (“typical” dollhouse where one inch equals 12 inches) to 1:24 (half-inch scale), 1:48 (quarter-inch scale), 1:144 (1/12 of an inch scale — doll house in a doll house) and even micro miniatures!