IOWA DESTINATIONS
John Wayne was born in the tiny house that now houses a museum in his honor.
Visitors flock to John Wayne birthplace
By KYLE LOBNER / POSTED OCT. 23, 2006
Marion Robert Morrison was born in a modest four room home in Winterset in 1907, the son of a pharmacist and an Irish woman. Nearly 100 years later, we know him as John Wayne, one of America’s greatest icons, and that four room house, just a block away from John Wayne Drive in Winterset, has been preserved in his memory.
The John Wayne Birthplace Society was formed in 1983, when they purchased the house and opened it to the
public for tours. Today, they boast almost 1200 memberships and are working to raise $5.5 million to construct a museum connecting to his birthplace complete with a 50 seat theatre, with gift shop, and many personal effects donated by the Wayne family. They hope to break ground on thenew museum on May 26, 2007, which would have been Wayne’s 100th birthday.
“Our plans are to keep the memory of this great American alive through generations of many devoted fans,” said Carolyn Wilson, manager of the Birthplace.
And keep it alive they have. Between 30,000 and 40,000 people visit the Birthplace annually, including former president Ronald Reagan, who called it “an inspiring tribute to a good friend and a great American.”
The museum is open seven days a week, 361 days a year, with breaks for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Easter. Inside, visitors can imagine the life of a young John Wayne, view memorabilia from many of his 172 feature films (including the eyepatch worn in True Grit, a hat worn in Rio Lobo, and a prop suitcase used in Stagecoach), read letters from several celebrities to Wayneand get some Wayne memorabilia of their own from the hundreds of items available in the Birthplace’s gift shop.
The fee to get in is reasonable, just $3 for adults, $2.50 for seniors and $1 for children, and the Birthplace is easy to find, just follow the signs off John Wayne Drive in Winterset. Guided tours start every day at 10 a.m. and a new tour begins every half hour until 4:30 p.m.
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