John Wayne Museums

The Birthplace of John Wayne Museum and Gift Shop

As befitting an American as great as John Wayne was, there are museums across the length and breadth of this great land, all dedicated in loving tribute to the man affectionately known simply as “Duke.” Perhaps the best known of these museums is the Birthplace of John Wayne museum in Winterset, Iowa. The museum is housed in the same small frame home where John Wayne was born, and it is absolutely packed with unique and wonderful John Wayne memorabilia. Attached to the museum by a boardwalk is a second house converted into a first rate gift shop. The museum also hosts the annual John Wayne Birthday Celebration which draws in thousands of luminaries and fans from all over the world each year. I have visited the John Wayne Birthplace twice now, and I look forward to that day when I will be able to visit again.

The John Wayne Birthplace is also planning to construct a 9,000 square foot museum and learning center adjacent to the birthplace. On their website, the John Wayne Birthplace states that the new museum will be the “only museum in the world dedicated to John Wayne!” Well, as much as I really like the John Wayne Birthplace, and although it will be the largest and best known John Wayne museum, it is certainly not the “only” museum in the world dedicated to John Wayne.

As I mentioned above, there are several smaller John Wayne museums around not only America, but the world itself. There is a John Wayne museum in Brackettville, Texas and another one in Tombstone, Arizona. In fact, there is one right in my very own living room, although it is not open to the public. Many John Wayne fans have been collecting John Wayne memorabilia over the years, and some of these collections are indeed large enough to qualify as museums in their own right, and their owners are just as qualified (more so in some cases) as the staff at the larger and better known John Wayne museums.

At this point I’d like to mention three of the smaller John Wayne museums in America. Smaller in size only, however, but Wayne stands just as tall in the hearts of the folks who run these museums. First up is the John Wayne museum located in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. It began as the small collection of Harry Brown, whose collection grew so large, that he was forced to build a separate building just to house it. Brown calls his museum the “Legends and Lawless” museum, but it is clearly a John Wayne museum. Brown chose the name in order to avoid any legal entanglements with Wayne Enterprises. Brown’s museum is located at 2747 Old Paris road, near the Mount Pleasant High School, and is open from 9am to 5pm, Tuesdays through Sundays. Admission is $2 for adults and a dollar for children.

Next up is the John Wayne museum located in Bowie, Maryland, operated by Bill Atkins, a 79 year old real estate agent. At the age of 19, while serving in the Marines, Atkins found himself assigned to a remote corner of camp Pendleton to act as an extra in a little film titled “Flying Leathernecks” starring John Wayne. Atkins met Wayne and was immediately impressed by the stars down to earth attitude, and his camaraderie with the enlisted men working on the film. And thus was born a life long John Wayne fan.

Atkins collection grew and grew, and he now houses it in his real estate office located at 6870 Race Track road in Bowie. Bill doesn’t charge any admission to his museum, an d he doesn’t keep regular hours there, so you may want to call ahead first. He’s in the book.

The third museum I’ll be talking about isn’t actually a “John Wayne” museum, and it isn’t necessarily a “small” museum either. The Territorial Museum located at Wild West Junction in Williams, Arizona definitely deserves to be mentioned here though because it houses one of the largest collections of John Wayne’s personal items in the world.

The collection is owned by Chili Bill Brooks, who has been collecting John Wayne memorabilia for almost 50 years. Brooks also knew Wayne, and was his pilot for almost a decade during the 1960’s and 1970’s. Brooks’ collection is on permanent display at the Territorial Museum, and features dozens of readily identifiable items including saddles, guns, clothing and more, as well as items from several of Wayne’s films such as The Shootist, True Grit, The Searchers and Rio Bravo. Wild West Junction is located at 321 E. Route 66 in Williams, Arizona. Call (928) 635-4512 for hours of operation and more information.

By the way, should you find yourself anywhere even remotely near Winterset, Iowa, and would like to visit the Birthplace of John Wayne, it is located at 216 S. 2^nd Street in Winterset. Their telephone number is (515) 462-1044 (or toll free at 877-462-1044). You can visit their website by clicking here.