J.M. Davis Arms & Historical Museum

The J.M. Davis Arms & Historical Museum in Claremore, Oklahoma is home to the world's largest privately-held firearms collection. What started as a childhood bribe—a small muzzleloading shotgun given to a sickly seven-year-old boy named John Monroe Davis—grew into an obsession that would span nearly a century and result in over 12,000 firearms.

The museum houses far more than just guns. Visitors encounter:

• •12,000+ firearms spanning centuries of American gun manufacturing
• •Old West artifacts: period saddles, spurs, and outlaw memorabilia
• •Merle Gill Collection: historically significant outlaw and lawman firearms, with original hanging nooses and handcuffs
• •Decorative antiques: John Rogers statuary, Toby mugs, beer steins, and more
• •WWI historical materials: original posters and wartime documents
• •Local history: Claremore and Rogers County artifacts dating back generations

"At some point, the collection grew to a critical mass and became so famous there were bragging-rights attached to having put something into Davis' collection. World War II veterans would bring him war trophies."

J.M. Davis built his collection methodically over decades. By 1929—after 12 years of collecting—he owned 99 guns. The real growth came in the early 1930s when he acquired three major collections:

During the Great Depression, Davis limited himself to $3,000 monthly acquisitions—then resold or traded a third of his purchases. His compassion was evident in how he treated his tenants: families who couldn't pay rent weren't evicted; some bartered old firearms for their housing.

In 1965, Davis established the J.M. Davis Memorial Foundation to preserve the collection in perpetuity. The State of Oklahoma signed a 99-year lease (with renewal option) for just one dollar. The state then appropriated funds to purchase an entire city block in downtown Claremore.

A 40,000 square-foot museum building was constructed and opened to the public on June 27, 1969—J.M. Davis's 82nd birthday. The collection was moved from the historic Mason Hotel (which Davis owned and operated from 1917-1961) to this purpose-built facility.

Multi-media exhibits guide visitors through firearms history and American frontier culture in a family-friendly format. The museum isn't just a dusty display—it tells the stories behind the guns and the people who carried them.

• •Virtual Museum Tour: Can't visit in person? Explore the collection online with an interactive virtual tour that lets you fly through exhibits and examine individual pieces.

J.M. Davis turned down offers from the Smithsonian Institution, Woolaoc Museum, Las Vegas gambling interests, and even Howard Hughes (who supposedly wanted just the 1,200-piece stein collection). Davis insisted the entire collection remain in Claremore. What could have been scattered across America instead became a permanent, accessible repository of American firearms and frontier history.

On June 27, 1972, the City of Claremore renamed J.M. Davis Boulevard in his honor. He passed away in February 1973, but his legacy—the world's most comprehensive private firearms collection—remains available to anyone curious about guns, history, and the American frontier.