Photo courtesy of Alcatraz East Crime Museum
Alcatraz East Crime Museum is unveiling a new temporary exhibit to recognize the 10th anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing. The exhibit, titled “117: The Boston Marathon Bombing,” will feature details about the event, as well as several authentic artifacts, and will open on April 14, 2023.
“We want people to know about this tragedy, as well as remember those who lost their lives and the widespread impact of that day,” says Ally Pennington, artifacts and programs manager at Alcatraz East Crime Museum. “It’s something we couldn’t have imagined happening, and then it did.”
The temporary exhibit will recall the timeline of the tragedy and include artifacts from the event, including a runner’s medal, prayer shawl, and a VIP Seating pass from the finish line.
According to the Department of Justice, on April 15, 2013, two pressure cooker bombs were placed near the finish line of the Boston Marathon by brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The explosives detonated within seconds of each other, injuring over 200 people and killing three, including an eight-year-old boy. The attack was the first on American soil since 9/11.
On April 19, 2013, Tamerlan was killed when the police tried to apprehend him. Dzhokhar remains in prison and was given a death sentence. Although there was an appeal to the death sentence in 2020, in March 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death sentence for his role in the attack and he remains on federal death row awaiting execution.
“This event caused chaos and confusion. It shook the nation to its core,” adds Pennington, artifacts and programs manager at Alcatraz East Crime Museum. “Everyone should know about this tragedy, so we can honor those impacted and learn from it.”
The Boston Marathon is the oldest in the country, starting in 1897. It’s estimated that there are roughly half a million spectators that turn out to watch it in person. The 127th Boston Marathon will take place on April 17, 2023, and is expected to have nearly 30,000 athletes participating from over 100 countries.
With over 100 temporary and permanent exhibits that are crime-related, Alcatraz East Crime Museum focuses on the history of crime, crime scene investigation, consequences of crime, crime-fighting, counterfeit crimes, pop culture, and more. There are numerous popular items on display for people to see, including the famous white Bronco from the O.J. Simpson chase and Ted Bundy’s famous Beetle. There are several temporary exhibits always being offered, which can be found online: https://www.alcatrazeast.com/temporary-exhibits/
Alcatraz East Crime Museum has updated its board of crime experts, which includes Derwin Bradley, a retired master police officer, James R. Knight, a crime writer, Robin Maynard, a certified crime scene investigator in Florida, Derek Newport, a law enforcement veteran who was with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for 20 years, and Judge Belvin Perry, Jr., who presided in the notorious case against Casey Anthony, among others.
This top museum is open at 10 am daily. The last tickets are sold 60 minutes before closing. These interactive experiences are available for an additional fee for birthday parties, school groups, scouts, team building, or other special events. For more information about tickets, discounts, temporary exhibits, and all the museum offers, visit the site: https://www.alcatrazeast.com.
