14-05-2025
Garst Museum in Greenville showcases new Annie Oakley artifacts
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) – New artifacts from Annie Oakley, the legendary sharpshooter, are now on permanent display in Greenville.
These artifacts, locked away in a bank vault for decades, were gifted to the Garst Museum by the great-grandchildren of William Longfelder, the executor of both Oakley's and her husband Frank Butler's estates.
The Longfelders were historic friends of the Butlers, living in the same neighborhood of Nutley, New Jersey, from 1893 until 1904.
Deeply personal letters from Oakley to Jennie Longfelder are among the artifacts. Oakley wrote about her own declining health and her husband's dementia. The decline in Oakley's health can be seen through her handwriting deteriorating.
The museum was in competition with the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, for the items. The Longfelder heirs visited Garst the day after the May 2024 tornado and were given a flashlight tour of the museum.
The National Annie Oakley Center collection convinced the heirs that the Garst Museum should receive the artifacts.
The gun Oakley would place under her pillow before sleeping while traveling – a small .32-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver with a pearl handle – is also on display.
The museum is located at 205 N. Broadway St., Greenville.
The museum staff members will continue working to display more of the Longfelder donation in a temporary case in the coming months. To learn more about the museum, click here.
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