History buffs and World War II enthusiasts in the Big Bend are fortunate to have a unique museum in Marfa that offers a special glimpse at one of the most destructive and longest running conflicts ever. Among the museum’s rare items are many banned and censored books that took him years to find. Thornsburg also discovered a Jewish family album at an estate sale during a trip to Europe, including an authentic FBI identification card from one of the Jewish refugees aboard a Navy ship.
Thornsburg said it takes a year to design and build a model ship at a cost of around $3,500. He focuses his collection on the Aliyah Bet rescue ships from 1939-1945, when Jews immigrated illegally to Palestine from Europe. He’s already planning his next project, building an even bigger ship to add to his vast collection.
When the museum opened last year, Thornsburg had visitors from the Dallas Holocaust Museum who invited him to be a guest speaker.
Thornsburg stated unequivocally, “These are stories you will never hear about – nobody talks about it. These ships have a history, and they don’t exist anywhere in the world.”
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