James Dean Museum Is a Fun Diversion to Check Out

Reflecting on our recent roadtrip to the James Dean Museum, we were debating the coolest Hoosiers (residents of the state of Indiana are called Hoosiers). Admittedly, the list isn’t terribly long but we managed a top five.

Certainly there might be debate on the list; there was plenty on the top two spots on our drive. But our drive’s destination was to a place where we could learn more about two of the five on our list — destination Fairmount, Indiana.

James Dean Museum Location

The James Dean Musuem, located at 203 E. Washington Street in Fairmount, about 15 minutes off Interstate 69 between Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, houses the largest collection of James Dean memorabilia available to the public. They also promote a permanent exhibit on Garfield the cat, created by Jim Davis. Both Dean and Davis were born and raised in this tiny small town in Central Indiana.

The small museum does offer up an impressive amount of cool things to look at regarding the short but impressive career of Dean. 

Dean’s fame only lasted five years before he tragically died in a car crash in his now famous Porsche Spider car in September 1955. He was a cultural icon that is still prominently displayed in the world today.  

What You’ll See

Scripts, props and other details from Dean’s three big films are showcased at the museum. Fans of Dean or his three movies East of Eden, Rebel Without A Cause or Giant will not be disappointed.

There are several rare items on display including the script for Rebel Without A Cause signed by the entire cast, along with Dean’s personal script from Giant.

Though James Dean never won an Oscar, they have an authentic Oscar on display at the museum, with quite a story behind it. Dean was twice nominated for an Oscar, back to back years in 1956 and 1957 for his performances in East Of Eden and Giant. 

The origins of the Oscar are not known but was given to Dean in 1955. There are many stories around Hollywood about how Dean got ahold of it, but what he did with it is well known. At the conclusion of filming for Giant, cast members gave out gifts to each other. Dean presented the Oscar to Robert Hinkle, credited with helping Dean develop the Jett Rink character in the movie.

Dean’s Life Before Hollywood

In addition to focusing on his public life in Hollywood and New York, the museum dives into his family life and growing up in rural Indiana. As Fairmount’s most famous resident, the locals take pride in showing Dean with his high school basketball team – this is Indiana after all. Dean is a proud alumni of Fairmount High School, class of ‘49. 

Jimmie came to Fairmount to live when his mother passed away when he was only nine. He was raised by the Winslow family, his aunt and uncle. The entire Dean collection belongs to the Winslow family and specifically his cousin Marcus. Marcus, or Markie as Dean called him, is still alive and living on the family farm nearby.

Dean’s relationship with Marcus was special, very much a big brother to his younger cousin. Very touching and a window into the type of person James Dean was is on display at the museum. A letter to Marcus sent from the Hotel Iroquois in New York about some recent artwork Marcus had sent him. “I beg of you please do not draw buildings of confinement, jails, castle or zoos. Rather, draw places of shelter. Do not draw people in uniforms, rather draw people who are free. Do not draw things of destruction.”

The Winslow family collection is extensive, and still not fully on display. The museum’s goal is to have more on display soon. Marcus Winslow and the museum have plans to add Dean’s car from his adolescence and other notable pieces of Dean’s history. The expectation is the car will be ready for the public to see when the James Dean Museum moves into their new building a few blocks away, by late summer 2024.

Dean tragically passed away as a result of car crash. One of his hobbies was car racing, and he was on his way to a race near Cholame, California when the crash occurred. He had a love affair with vehicles that would go fast, and that included motorcycles. The museum has two of Dean’s personal motorcycles on display.

Celebrating James Dean

Each year this tiny Indiana farm town celebrates the life of James Dean with James Dean Days the last full weekend of September. It is the ultimate destination for “Deaners” – fans of the actor’s knickname. James Dean Days features a parade, look-a-like contest and more for three days. The biggest draw of the festival is the classic car show, which features up to 3,000 cars on display throughout town.

A short drive away from the museum is the James Dean gravesite which is open year round and free of charge to visit. He is laid to rest at Park Cemetery, located at 7843 South 150 East in Fairmount.

The James Dean Museum has some very cool merchandise for fans of Dean to purchase. You can pick up a unique t-shirt for a reasonable price and help out the museum at the same time.

The James Dean portion of the museum did not disappoint. Admission is only $5 per person and well worth it. 

The portion of the museum with the Garfield / Jim David exhibit was a little lacking. Dean is the star of the show, so the single room dedicated to Garfield and creator Jim Davis paled in comparison. 

The museum is open Thursday – Monday from 11AM to 5PM each day. They will have longer hours during the festival in September. Note, the sign on I-69 states that they are only open seasonally but that is not correct. 

This is not an ‘all day‘ stop but a nice diversion for an hour or so. And it is a can’t miss stop if you’re a fan of the actor. If you’re in the neighborhood, might we suggest some top Indiana restaurants to satisfy your hunger? Check out our reviews.