Video: Tenn Tom Museum Opens

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COLUMBUS, Miss.(WCBI) — New Tenn Tom Transportation Museum highlighting the uniqueness of the waterway involving four states with its extensive lock and dam system is open to the public.

An impressive display and collection of memorabilia dating back to 1985, the official opening of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway is made available to visitors entering the museum on Seventh Street North in Columbus. The waterway a vital economic asset to not only Mississippi; Alabama, Kentucky, and of course Tennessee.

“We often take it for granted because the waterway is something we don’t necessarily come in contact with daily. But it’s just as important as our roadway and bridge system, rail system, other modes of transportation,” said Commissioner Mike Tagert/MDOT.

During construction of the 234-mile waterway dirt removal was a must. Just in the state from Washington, DC between 1976 and 1980 Tom Elmore with Eutah Construction was project manager of the Aberdeen Lock And Dam , one of nine locks in the system,” said Tom Elmore/CEO Eutah Construction.

“Which included 5 million yards of dirt work to move to put the foundation in, 5 million cubic yards. The actual lock and dam had 22,000 cubic yards of concrete,” said Tom Elmore/CEO Eutah Construction.

When you talk about moving wood products, steel, coal, fuel, you know water-borne transportation is vital for those industries,” said Mike Tagert.

The familiar voice of a riverboat captain (Narrated by R. H. Brown) telling of the Tenn Tom Waterway in an educational format is used to greet visitors to the museum. Already a group of children from a local school flowed into, taking in the sights and sounds of history.

“Really enjoyed it, very good educational experience for them showing them the different modes of intermodal transportation and how the waterway operates,” said Agnes Zaiontz/Tenn Tom Transportation Museum.

“And hopefully along the way for the Department of Transportation, we see some kids develop some interest in water-borne transportation careers,” said Tagert.

With private funding and a grant from the department of transportation; tourists, researchers, civic and cultural groups, and families should enjoy the civil engineering marvel for decades to come.

There will be an official grand opening of the museum February 6th at 4:00 P.M.