The John Wayne Birthplace Museum is a mecca for fans of movie legend John Wayne. Since the museum’s establishment in 1982, more than a million visitors have made the pilgrimage to historic Madison County to tour the actors birthplace home including guests such as Ronald Reagan and Maureen O’Hara.
The museum which is adjacent to Wayne’s childhood home features artifacts, original movie posters, film wardrobe, scripts, film contracts, and other movie memorabilia. There is even a movie theater complete with original seats from Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood showing a documentary on the ‘Duke’s’ film career.
John Wayne was born in the small central Iowa town of Winterset on May 26, 1907. His family later moved to Palmdale and then eventually to Glendale in California. The actor most famous for his roles in western films was among the top box office draws for three decades and starred in over 142 films over his career. In his final screen performance in 1976 he starred as an aging gunfighter battling cancer in ‘The Shootist’. He died in 1979 due to stomach cancer.
The museum is open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm. Admission is $15. All tours are self guided but staff are available to answer question.
This article was originally published by Blog – ROAD TRIP USA. Read the original article here.
