The steamboat Arabia sank in the Missouri River in 1856, and over the years became silted over with mud.
When the Missouri River shifted in its channel, the Arabia ended up under a farmer's corn field, the accumulated silt preserving perfectly the cargo that the steamboat was carrying. Now it's all in a museum, a time capsule to the year 1856.
That might be the coolest thing I've ever seen. A snapshot of ante bellum America, perfectly preserved.
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