The John Wayne Birthplace Museum

 

Above, the John Wayne statue at the main entrance courtyard. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Along with having John Wayne's birthplace, Winterset, Iowa also has a museum with many movie artifacts from Wayne's career. The Museum had its grand opening on May 22-25, 2015. I visited both this last Thursday.

While not as extensive as the John Wayne: An American Experience exhibit in Fort Worth, Texas, fans visiting the museum will come away not at all disappointed. There's lots of stuff to see.

There is a theater that shows a short film with Aissa Wayne on her dad's life and career. When she was a youngster, she appeared in several of Wayne's films including The Comancheros, The Alamo and McLintock! 

There is a big gift shop in the museum. I picked up several DVDs to fill some gaps in my collection along with a poster from McLintock! (below).

One can walk directly from the museum to the birthplace house through a room containing a chuckwagon from The Cowboys. 

There is also the "courting cart" from The Quiet Man along with a model of the Alamo. One of Wayne's customized station wagons is on display. (There's another one in Fort Worth at the John Wayne: An American Experience.) Many movie wardrobe items are also on display. A collection of coffee mugs Wayne gave to cast and crew members of his movies upon their completion are also on display. A cannon used in The Alamo is also on display.

The main entrance courtyard is dominated by a huge statue of John Wayne.

Here's a sampling of my visit:

Catty-corner from the Museum:

John Wayne's Birthplace

Above, the birthplace of John Wayne. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

As Jessica was busy doing other things, I went solo to the John Wayne Birthplace & Museum in Winterset, Iowa yesterday.

I rented a car and headed there. It was about 45 miles away from Jessica's. 

The house where Wayne was born was acquired by Winterset around 1983 and restored. The furnishings inside were from the period, early 20th Century. 

Wayne's daughter Aissa and her husband head to Winterset every May to celebrate her dad's birthday and meet with her dad's fans.The museum has many movie artifacts from Wayne's films. It is not as extensive as the John Wayne: An  American Experience in Fort Worth, Texas, but it has plenty to not be disappointing.

Wayne and his family lived in Winterset for two years following his birth. It is a pretty small town, especially with the trees in their autumn colors. 

I was talking to the docents and they were not aware that the John Wayne Cancer Foundation holds marathons in different locations (like Ridgway, Colorado). I showed them photos of  Patrick and Ethan Wayne and me. They were quite fascinated. I told them I would try to have the Foundation contact them about promoting the marathons.

Of course, I took some photos while there: