The Will Rogers Memorial Museum occupies twenty acres on a hill overlooking Claremore that Rogers himself purchased with the intention of building a retirement home — he never lived to see it. The museum opened in 1938 and has been expanded several times since; it now runs to twelve galleries covering his life in extraordinary detail.
The collection includes his vaudeville and Ziegfeld Follies props, film memorabilia from the 71 movies he appeared in, radio scripts, thousands of newspaper columns (he wrote a daily 500-word column for 12 years), and a remarkable archive of photographs. The galleries on his Cherokee heritage and his political commentary — he was sharp, prescient, and funny about American politics in the 1920s and 30s — are the most interesting for visitors who arrive knowing little about him. Rogers and his wife Betty and two of their children are buried on the grounds. Open daily 10am–5pm; modest admission charge.