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Will Rogers Memorial Museum

Museum
In Claremore, Oklahoma
1.1 mi from Route 66

The Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore, OK, honors the entertainer Will Rogers with more than 19,000 square feet of exhibits, a theater and his tomb. Its collection covers his life through objects, photographs and handwritten papers, and the theater screens his films, speeches and documentaries. Opened in 1938 and now run by the Oklahoma Historical Society, it lies about 2 miles off the old road on grounds that overlook the town.

What is Will Rogers Memorial Museum?

The museum building holds 19,052 square feet of galleries filled with Rogers memorabilia, personal items, photographs and manuscripts. A theater inside shows movies he starred in, recordings of his speeches and documentaries about him, which is the easiest way to hear his voice and see why audiences loved him.

The setting is part of the visit. The museum stands on 20 acres of grounds, and Rogers' tomb is here, looking out over Claremore and the campus of Rogers State University. It is a calm, reflective spot after the busy galleries.

History of Will Rogers Memorial Museum

Records give 1938 as the museum's founding year. Until 2016 a state agency, the Will Rogers Memorial Commission, ran it. On March 7, 2016, Oklahoma's governor signed a law that closed the commission and handed the property and everything in it to another state agency, the Oklahoma Historical Society, which has managed it since.

Route 66 travelers have a special link to Rogers: the highway itself was later nicknamed the Will Rogers Highway, so a stop here ties the man to the road.

Visiting Will Rogers Memorial Museum: tips

The museum is about 2 miles off the old road. Allow one to two hours, a bit more if you want to sit through a film. It is listed as wheelchair accessible.

The J. M. Davis Arms and Historical Museum is about 1 mile away, so both Claremore museums fit easily into one afternoon. Claremore Mound, the hill that gave the town its name, is about 4.7 miles off. A restaurant sits only a couple of blocks from the museum.