Will Rogers Memorial
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| Established | 1938 |
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| Location | Claremore, Oklahoma |
| Coordinates | 36°19′15″N 95°37′53″W / 36.32087°N 95.63149°W |
| Type | History and art museum |
| Director | Tad Jones |
| Website | www.willrogers.com |
The Will Rogers Memorial Museum is a 19,052-square-foot (1,770 m2) museum in Claremore, Oklahoma that memorializes entertainer Will Rogers. The museum houses artifacts, memorabilia, photographs, and manuscripts pertaining to Rogers' life, and documentaries, speeches, and movies starring Rogers are shown in a theater. Rogers' tomb is located on its 20-acre (8 ha) grounds overlooking Claremore and Rogers State University.
Until March 7, 2016, the museum was owned and managed by a private organization, the Will Rogers Memorial Commission. On that date, the Governor of Oklahoma signed legislation to transfer the property and all its assets to the Oklahoma Historical Society, a state agency.
The land for the museum, containing 20 acres (8.1 ha) that overlooks the Tiawah Valley, was originally purchased by Rogers, a Claremore native, in 1911, for the site of his retirement home. The price was reportedly $500 per acre. It was given to members of the Rogers family after his death. Will's wife, Betty, donated it to the state of Oklahoma in 1937. The museum opened in 1938, three years after his death. The Oklahoma legislature appropriated $200,000 for the construction of a museum honoring Rogers. The original 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) limestone building was designed by John Duncan Forsyth. Groundbreaking occurred April 21, 1938, with Will's sister, Sallie Rogers McSpadden, turning the first spade full of dirt. Construction was completed November 4, 1938, on what would have been Will's 59th birthday.
An 11,000-square-foot (1,000 m2) addition was constructed in 1983.
The rotunda contains a famous sculpture of Will Rogers by artist Jo Davidson. The pedestal is inscribed with a famous quotation by Rogers, "...I never met a man I didn't like." The statue is a copy of the work that the artist created in 1938 and which has represented the state in the National Statuary Hall at the United States Capitol.
The 1983 addition includes a large library and offices that serve as research areas for scholars and writers. This area covers 2,400 square feet (220 m2) and holds more than 2000 volumes relevant to Will Rogers, plus other topics such as Indians, genealogy, vaudeville, early motion pictures. and history of the 1879–1935 era. Museum archives also contain an estimated 18,000 photographs, as well as thousands of original manuscripts, private letters, contracts, and personal papers, as well as motion pictures, home movies, and audio tapes.
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