A mysterious flood at a suburban Titanic exhibit has museum officials questioning after footage of the water bursting into the building appeared to resemble scenes from the classic movie.
The Volo Museum's $6 million Titanic exhibit, which is just over a year old, was temporarily closed after it was submerged in water during recent storms in the Chicago area. Museum officials said the building has been known for its paranormal activity, with numerous "unusual and unexplainable occurrences" over the years, and the latest incident was "no exception."
"This is the first flood to happen in this building in 40 years," museum director Brian Grams said in a statement. "We thoroughly inspected everything, and there were no broken pipes, roof leaks, or any other obvious points of entry for such large amounts of water. Even the perimeter of the building, with a concrete floor, was dry with no evidence of cracks or holes. The flood is a total mystery."
The start of the flood was captured on surveillance video, which Marketing Director Jim Wojdyla said "gave me goosebumps."
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"Watching the water rush in on the footage eerily resembled scenes from the Titanic movie," Wojdyla said. "What really gave me goosebumps was watching the flood start from under that car that inspired our entire exhibit."
That car is a 1912 Renault French concept car. Only two vehicles were ever produced. One of them was the only car on the Titanic, which now rests at the bottom of the ocean. Its sister car is now the only one left in existence and rests in Volo Museum's Titanic Exhibit.
The flooding forced the museum to temporarily close the exhibit as staff rushed to dismantle and preserve the historic contents. It is expected to reopen Thursday.
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The museum has a "reputation as a hotspot for paranormal activity," even at one point garnering attention from the Discovery Channel's "Ghost Hunters."
