Santa Maria Ship & Museum Facts for Kids

The Santa Maria Ship & Museum was a special museum ship located in downtown Columbus, Ohio. It was a full-size copy, or "replica," of the Santa María. This was one of the three ships that Christopher Columbus used in 1492 during his first big trip to the Americas. The ship was on display in Columbus from 1991 until 2014. It had to move because of a big riverbank project called the Scioto Mile. Since then, the Santa Maria has been stored on a piece of land owned by the city.

About the Santa Maria Replica
The Ship's Journey and History
Gallery
See also

About the Santa Maria Replica

The ship on the Scioto River by Battelle Riverfront Park

This wooden ship was a full-size copy of the Santa María. It was one of the three ships Christopher Columbus sailed to the Americas in 1492. Many believed this new ship was the most accurate copy of the original Santa María ever built.

The people who built the ship called it a "15th-century caravel". It had three tall masts and was about 98 feet (30 meters) long. The replica was shown on the Scioto River in Columbus. It was tied up near Battelle Riverfront Park.

The Ship's Journey and History

The Santa Maria in 2008

The Santa Maria replica was ordered in the late 1980s. The idea was for it to be a lasting attraction along the river. This was planned for the 1992 Christopher Columbus Quincentennial Jubilee. This celebration marked 500 years since Columbus's first voyage.

The ship cost $2 million to build. Private groups paid for it. It was built at Scarano Boat Building in Albany, New York. In 1991, the ship was cut in half to be moved. It was then trucked to Columbus. Workers put it back together in a parking lot. After that, it was moved to Battelle Riverfront Park.

The ship was officially opened on October 11, 1991. This was just before Columbus Day in 1992. About 150 people protested the event. Many of them were Native Americans. They gathered at nearby Bicentennial Park and near the ship.

The Santa Maria was meant to bring people to the riverfront. Many school groups from the city visited it. However, it did not attract as many visitors as hoped. Over the years, fewer people came to see it.

The group that ran the ship was a nonprofit. It closed in 2011. The Columbus Recreation and Parks Department then took over the ship. Around 2014, the ship had to move again. This was because of the Scioto Mile project. Also, it needed $5–6 million in repairs.

The Santa Maria was taken apart into ten pieces. It was moved to a city-owned lot. This lot is next to a water treatment plant in the South Side of Columbus. A group called Santa Maria Inc. worked to raise money for repairs. There was hope that the ship could return to the riverfront one day.