Sep. 21—The J.M. Davis Arms & Historic Museum in Claremore will debut a short lived railroad historical past exhibit Oct. 14.
Although the museum is often closed Mondays, it’s going to open that day at 10 a.m., and the exhibit will keep on the museum till Jan. 11, 2025.
“American Treasures: The Railroad Museum of Oklahoma” will show about 150 artifacts from the titular railroad museum, positioned in Enid.
Just a few hours after the exhibit opens, a historic Union Pacific steam engine referred to as Large Boy will cease into Claremore.
The Claremore Museum of Historical past, Claremore Important Road and the Lilac District have designated Oct. 14 “Claremore Practice Day.” Downtown companies will supply gross sales, and the historical past museum will inventory drinks and snacks. Large Boy will roll by at 1:15 p.m. on the Florence Avenue crossing.
Randy Ramer, director of the gun museum, stated it is no accident the 2 occasions are scheduled the identical day.
“It is about encouraging folks from Enid to come back right here, and inspiring folks from Claremore to go to Enid to see the bigger assortment,” Ramer stated. “That is all the time a great factor.”
Ramer stated the Enid museum has over 1,000,000 artifacts in its assortment, many gathered by founder Frank “Watermelon” Campbell, a brakeman and conductor within the Enid space who died in 2021 at age 99.
Ramer stated he lately traveled to Enid to select objects from the gathering to show in Claremore. He stated he labored with Mike Marshall, performing director of the Enid museum, to mirror your entire assortment with a small pattern.
The museum will current the gathering with a video of Campbell, whom Ramer stated was the “coronary heart and soul” of the Enid museum.
Marshall stated different objects will embody classic railroad indicators, lanterns, mannequin trains, china from eating automobiles — “an terrible lot of stuff.”
“I actually relied on Randy to inform me what he thought could be enticing to the guests at his museum, and he appeared fairly happy with what we handed out for him,” Marshall stated.
Marshall stated bringing railroad artifacts to Claremore is a pure match due to town’s three practice tracks and its wealthy railroad historical past. Ramer stated that is one thing Claremore and Enid have in widespread.
“The railroads have been one of many the explanation why the cities grew to become what they’ve develop into,” Ramer stated.
Ramer stated the gun museum has plans for extra non permanent reveals over the following couple of years.
He stated the museum desires to alter up its choices as a result of curiosity in it has dwindled, and bringing in artifacts from different museums will assist forged the gun museum’s assortment in a brand new mild.
“We need to encourage, notably the Claremore neighborhood and the Rogers County neighborhood, to come back see us,” Ramer stated. “We need to supply new, attention-grabbing issues. We’re a neighborhood useful resource, and we need to guarantee that we’re doing what we are able to to be the perfect neighborhood useful resource doable.”
Marshall stated he’s excited on the prospect of partnering with the gun museum.
“It is actually one thing museums must do extra,” Marshall stated. “They should search out partnerships and cross-promote, and it is simply gonna be a terrific factor for us. I hope it’s for them.”
Ramer stated he hopes to renovate a lot of the museum forward of the Route 66 centennial in 2026. The course of historic Route 66 runs alongside J.M. Davis Boulevard proper previous the museum, and he stated he desires to no less than refresh the outside and the parking zone.
Inside, Ramer stated issues have not modified a lot because the museum opened in 1969. The collections are displayed in glass instances in what Ramer stated known as “seen storage” within the museum world.
He stated the museum hopes to supply extra in-depth interpretations of the firearms that put them into bigger historic context.
“We’re taking a look at alternative ways to create totally different zones of curiosity in order that it isn’t simply show case upon show case, row upon row of firearms,” Ramer stated. “…It leaves one thing to be desired by way of trendy museum show.”
