As soon as you enter the Ralph Foster Museum on the campus of the College of the Ozarks in Branson, you’ll see one of its most famous exhibits— The Beverly Hillbillies Truck.
The original truck was donated to the museum by television series creator Paul Henning. Granny’s rocking chair, bedframes, buckets, and all manner of what the Clampetts thought they might need in Beverly Hills; it’s all here.
The museum’s three floors are filled with displays all pertaining to the Ozarks. They include a large display of clocks and watches, glassware, and a Rolls-Royce Phantom II.
Other exhibits include a large collection of firearms, Native American artifacts, an array of music industry memorabilia, including instruments, costumes, and gold records from artists such as Brenda Lee, Roy Acuff, Barbara Mandrell, and Eddie Rabbit. Another exhibits honors Rose O’Neill and her dolls, including her Kewpie doll creation.
This is an excellent museum for getting a feel for those who live in the Ozarks—past and present.
And who was Ralph Foster? He was a radio station executive who also created the television program “Ozark Jubilee” to showcase some of the region’s musical talent. Foster had collected Native American artifacts, and his interest in the School of the Ozarks prompted him to turn this vast collection over to the School’s Museum.
Because of his abiding interests and generosity, the school renamed the Museum the “Ralph Foster Museum” in the mid-1960’s.
For more information about the museum, click here. For more information about the many attractions in Branson, click here.
