Stepping into Ed Tooley’s house is like stepping back in time.
“Welcome to Titanic,” he said, opening up a bedroom door.
Tooley has spent the last 15 years turning his extra bedroom into a 20th century stateroom. He used pictures of the Titanic and of its sister ship the Queen Mary to make it as authentic as possible.
“I stayed on the Queen Mary in California, that’s a sister ship, and it just made me feel like I should start a Titanic room.”
The Queen Mary is permanently moored off the coast of California and is now a hotel.
Tooley’s room has wooden bed, desk and other wood furniture. There’s a wash basin mounted on the wall, not connected to any plumbing. That’s how it would’ve been on the ship, Tooley said. Many items are replicas, but some are authentic. He has an extra copy of one of the dinner menus and locks meant for the ships additional voyages.
Tooley has pieces of coal salvaged from the sunken ship, and a tea cup also found in the wreckage. He even has suitcases and a baby carriage from the era.
“Just to give it a bit of authenticity,” he said.
The room is a way for Tooley to honor those lost at sea 104 years ago.
“I just felt it,” Tooley said. “All those people who perished need to be remembered and to me, this is a monument to them.”