birthplace of john wayne

For those who know their history of American Film, "The Duke", aka John Wayne, was an icon. He was born in Winterset, IA and only spent the first few years of his life here. However, the Birthplace of John Wayne is dedicated to this man's life. For fans of the actor, there is a ton of memorabilia in the house to view. However, the majority of the house is there to show more than just his films with plenty focusing on his family. Even if you are a bit too young to really know his movies, as we are, it's still an interesting experience for about 30 minutes of your time.

There: that says it all, the man was bigger than life! The above quote, originally encountered in Steinbeck, stuck to John Wayne because of his hero image. The good guys always win in his movies and the bad guys go down the drain. It looks like centuries ago, doesn’t it! I’ve been planning to see the Duke’s birthplace for a long time, but it’s so out of the way from any other place of interest, that I never managed. On this trip, I decide to bite the bullet and make the 30 miles (round trip) detour to Winterset. I wish I hadn’t. Marion Robert Morrison, aka John Wayne was born in Winterset, IA in 1907. His parents took the family to California when he was only 8 years old and he never went back. However, the birthplace city is trying to cash in, given America’s love affair with the Duke. The house is small and has nothing original inside. The only thing they have is two small rooms with photos and letters, mostly donated from his children (he had seven, from two wives, a third one did not produce any) and from actors from his time (Obviously, they solicited everybody and got answers from a whole bunch of people who knew him). You can only see the house with a guide. Our guide recited the recording in her head with lightening speed and seemed very pleased with herself. You don’t get any time to actually review the documents and photos, and there is a great number of those, even though the two rooms are small. The rest is John Wayne promotional stuff, i.e. junk. We are told they are building a big new center and they are getting somebody’s private collection of John Wayne owned stuff (like his last car) and that the collection is valued at two million dollars. True disclosure: I am a great fan of the Duke. This experience was traumatic to me. Not only did I not learn anything I did not already know, but I felt quite frustrated by the processing speed of the guided tour and the Guide hovering over less we should try to take a photo (not that you could, the light is quite dim). There's surely something better to tell visitors than the fact that he had small feet for a big men, he wore number 9 boots and a toupee. People, you have to understand that you’ll get more from visitors who come to honor a great actor and a great American and are given the time to review the photos and an opportunity to take a shot for their scrap books. Nobody stops you from taking photos at the Morgan Library in New York City, and they certainly have much more valuable stuff than old letters and photos. One final word – they ask everybody to sign the Visitor’s book. When Ronald Reagan (a great fan of the Duke) was running for his Second Term, he came to Iowa to campaign and expressed desire to see John Wayne’s birthplace. And they asked him to sign the Visitors book. And he did. Right on top of one page, you can see: Ronald Reagan, 1600 Pen Ave, Washington, DC (under address). It reminds me of the Duke’s signature in the Copper Queen Hotel in Bisbee, AZ (separate review). "John Wayne", "Actor". You can even stay in the John Wayne Room in the Copper Queen!

While the Birthplace of John Wayne may not be large enough for a destination visit, it’s well worth a visit if you’re going to be in the area or passing by on I-80 or I-35. For a reasonable fee, visitors are given a short guided tour through the four-room house The Duke was born in. The exhibit includes numerous photographs and memorabilia that chart the life, from childhood through the extensive career, of arguably the most recognizable figure in movie history.

The wife and I visited John Wayne's birthplace while touring the countryside looking at the bridges of Madison County. The four room house has been wonderfully restored and is very nice inside with beautiful original woodwork and pictures of the Duke in his early childhood as well as of his movie career. The entire tour takes about half an hour with an interesting guide that explains everything to you. While travelling through this lovely little town of Winterset you need to do yourself a favor and check this place out along with the six covered bridges in the area.

Anyone who lives John Wayne should definitely stop here! The house has been beautifully restored and is very nicely kept inside with pictures of the Duke in his career and childhood as well as different personal affects from his movie career. The guide gave a very interesting talk and definitely knew the subject! The groundsare very nice and within the next year they will have a new museum nearby to house many things they presently don't have room for. The gift shop is quite nice with not only John Wayne memorabilia, but of The Bridges of Madison a County as well. This is well worth the price of admission!

Really enjoyed our tour of this tiny house where John Wayne was born. Our guide was delightful and told some fun stories. The house is really cute with beautiful original woodwork. The entire tour takes about 1/2 hour. They are building a museum which I believe will be open in May 2015.

If you like this kind of thing you will REALLY enjoy the birthplace of this American legend. Not only is the home great to see but this town is lovely.

May 2012This is an amazing place. The entire town of Winterset is all about the birthplace of John Wayne.Every Memorial Day weekend there is a celebration of John Wayne's birth. Many activities and sometimes celebrity guest show up for the weekend. When we were there, his daughter and grand daughter were there to join the festivities.The actual birthplace is a small home with a few rooms. In this home there are all types of memorabilia placed throughout. There is also a gift store setup right next door with many items for purchase. The town is in the process of building a new John Wayne museum.This is a one of kind place for all John Wayne fans to visit. Go for the memorial day weekend celebration.

We reached this attraction after hours so we were unable to do the tour...2014 rate is $7.00/per person. You can pay to tour the home he was raised in. But outside there is a beautiful statue of him and you can still take great pictures of the home and the bricks that have been laid - some donated by locals others donated by celebrities. Quick stop if on a long road trip and the town is cute too.

Love this place because I love the Duke have to go by everytime I'm in Winterset. There is a Statue that is beautiful they were working on a museum I believe during my visit. If you love the Duke its a must see.

There is a fee to enter his "house" but if you dont want to, there is the statue you can take a picture of/with. Head into the little town and be pleasantly surprised.

Although we arrived too late for the house visit, seeing the statue and the wonderfully decorated van was worth the stop.I was told the van painting had cost thousands of $$ and the quality was awesome.

We only seen the outside of the place as they were already closed. They are also building a museum which will be done in the near future.

You enter into the house and realize that there are only 4 rooms in the entire house. It is very small, but quaint. It is a nice start to the tour of the Covered Bridges. Full of history about a great actor. the gift shop next door is full of interesting books and gifts. The people that work there are very knowledgeable and helpful. Remember that this house is really small, so don't get your hopes up that it will be spectacular, because it is not. The streets were under construction in many places, so hopefully when you visit, construction will be done.

A ticket, which can be purchased next door at the gift shop, is needed to see the house which can only be seen on a tour. Tour groups are small due to the size of the house. The vintage furniture is not the original owned by the family, but has been donated. On the walls are many photos of John Wayne as he appeared in his many movies along with family photos. There are display cases of memorabilia from his life and movies. The tour guide was very informative did her job well. Photography is not allowed in the house. The house is situated on a corner lot and is very well maintained. A new larger museum is being built next door so there are a couple street closures in the area, but this does not pose a problem getting to the location. Street parking is plentiful.