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 John Wayne's Boyhood Home - Brooklyn, Iowa Posted by:  iconions
N 41° 44.116 W 092° 26.719
15T E 546127 N 4620532
This black metal marker, along with a printed boulder and silhouette statue is located on the northwestern lawn of the former boyhood home of John Wayne. The house is located at 717 Jackson Street in Brooklyn, Iowa.
Waymark Code: WM14TX9
Location: Iowa, United States
Date Posted: 08/23/2021
Views: 3
My Commentary
There is a reason I will sometimes get off the the Interstate and take a U.S. HWY to get to my destination. Case in point - I was driving by this seriously small town between the Amana Colonies and Newton Iowa when I saw a sign saying - "Boyhood Home of John Wayne". I had to turn around and investigate. This is a private residence - no I didn't knock to ask to go inside. I did however get pictures of the marker, the large boulder with the saying: "Howdy Pilgrim !", the silhouette of the Duke, and the brick walk to this "shrine". Definitely unexpected.
The silhouette of John Wayne is metal, life-size, and has him dressed in a cowboy outfit. The text of the marker reads:
(picture of a circle with an outer ring of stars; an inner ring of stripes going from the center outward; and a cowboy hat in the center)
Boyhood Home of
John Wayne
------...------
The Clyde Morrison family moved from Winterset
to this house in 1909 and lived here again in
1913-14. Mr. Morrison was a pharmacist employed
by the Rainsburg Drug Store, located near the
south end of Jackson Street on the west side.
His elder son, Marion, attended kindergarten at
the Brooklyn Elementary School and entered first
grade there in the fall of 1915.
When Mr. Morrison was diagnosed with
tuberculosis he moved his family to California in
1914. In later years the Morrison's older son,
Marion, became the legendary Hollywood actor
known as John Wayne.
- Marker Text
The Local Chamber of Commerce Writeup:
John Wayne Historic Marker is located on the corner of Jackson and East Des Moines Street. It is the boyhood home of John Wayne Historical Site.
- Brooklyn Iowa Chamber of Commerce Tourism Page
Other Sites' Writeups:
Born in another Iowa town in 1907, grew up in California, but the Duke lived here a few years in between (1909, 1913-14). No more home, but a historical marker, a 2-D statue of the actor as cowboy, and a rock engraved "Howdy Pilgrim." Unveiled in 2016.
- roadsideamerica.com
Brooklyn recognizes boyhood home of 'The Duke,' John Wayne
BROOKLYN, Iowa — A new historical marker unveiled here May 28 pays homage to a movie star who lived in the community as a child.
John Wayne, who was born Marion Morrison, moved with his family in 1909 to a privately owned home at 717 Jackson St. in Brooklyn.
His father, a pharmacist, moved the family to Earlham that year, but they returned to the Brooklyn home in 1913.
Wayne attended first grade in the community before his family moved to California in May 1914, according to the 1995 biography “John Wayne: American.”
Over the past year and a half, four people from the Brooklyn Historical Society raised more than $10,000 for a commemorative plaque, John Wayne silhouette and a rock with the saying “Howdy Pilgrim!” to place outside Wayne’s former home.
Waukee resident Carol Carpenter Hanson, a Brooklyn native, helped raise the money, primarily through private donations.
“It’s really to honor him as a person — the fact he was influenced by his Iowa roots, and to honor Brooklyn and its role in his early childhood years,” she said.
Steve Rhoads, the president of the Brooklyn Historical Society said other features will be added to the memorial site such as a hitching post leading to a vintage-brick sidewalk. A flagpole with an American flag that flew over the U.S. Capitol — a gift from U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa — also will be erected.
Wayne, known for his leading roles in several films, such as “Stagecoach,” “They Were Expendable,” “Red River,” “Fort Apache” and “The Searchers,” died at age 72 from stomach cancer in 1979.
A museum dedicated to Wayne opened in 2015 in Winterset. The building is opposite the home where Wayne was born on May 26, 1907.
- Cedar Rapids Gazette - published Jun 6, 2016
The "Official Tourism" URL link to the attraction: [Web Link]
Hours of Operation:
Available daylight Hours
Admission Prices:
Free
Approximate amount of time needed to fully experience the attraction: Less than 15 minutes
Transportation options to the attraction: Personal Vehicle Only
The attraction’s own URL: Not listed
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