The Museum is of course still a work in progress, but on April 26^th it became a reality with the first opening with a wine & cheese celebration attended by about 40 JRTCA members.  It seemed that all those who attended were impressed by this first look at the Museum & Library, and great enthusiasm was shared by all.

Many thanks to Jack Batzer who did the majority of the setup, to Nita & Wayne May, Bob & June McCarty, Joan & Jessie Crouse, Sally & Charles Hickey, and Catherine Brown who have also assisted in the setup and in donations of furnishings to the Museum.  A huge thanks to Bettyann Senf for taking photos the night of the open house, which are shared here for all to have a sneak preview of the museum.

Rob & Deb Mahon of Canada attended the open house and presented the museum with a lovely custom- made cabinet with a stained-glass Jack Russell design on the front.  Thank you – it will be displayed with pride for many years to come!

Thanks to Sally & Charles Hickey for the food setup, Joan & Jessie Crouse for their assistance, and Chip McDaniel for his beautiful veggie trays.  It was quite a spread enjoyed by all, many thanks to all who attended.

Some of the Museum contents include the original JRTCA registration book, posters from the first JRTCA National Trials, many books including several first editions of Parson Russell’s memoirs, trophies from the first trials, great artwork, and much more.  Videos run for visitors with much history.

Although the Museum is now a reality, it is far from completed.  It is just the beginning.  The memorabilia collected so far is mainly pre -1990’s.  There is much still needed, including input from our foreign affiliated clubs so that all JRT clubs who share our common goal are represented.  We also want to have displays from Russell Rescue and the JRT Research Foundation.

The next planning to step is gathering photos of the terriers and breeders who were influential in the early pedigrees that were our foundation in the USA.  Also early judges, conformation and working, many of whom are no longer with us but are not forgotten.  Videos are being gathered for displays. Scrapbooks are being made with articles and other important information over the past 40 years.  Artwork and more to be expanded.

Perhaps most importantly, we need to display a good portrait of our founder and President Emeritus, Ailsa Crawford, with a biography of her life.  Without Ailsa Crawford, none of this would be a reality.

As you can see, there I much work to be done.  If you would like to help, we are also forming committees to do the projects needed.  Just email us at office@jackrussellterriermuseum.com.

The Museum Benefit Trial is coming up on June 22 & 23 at the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds in Fredericksburg, VA.  This is a big undertaking for the Museum Board, and very important to raising operating funds for the Museum.  Help is needed for the trial weekend – stewards, setup/teardown, etc.  It is very important that we make a good profit on this only fundraising event, please sponsor a class or send a donation!  You can sponsor a class on-line.

The purpose of the Museum and Crawford Library is to permanently document and illustrate the history of the true Jack Russell Terrier, particularly as it developed in the Jack Russell Terrier Club of America, but also from its beginnings in Great Britain, and make it available in this Museum and Library to educate anyone interested in the true Jack Russell Terrier.

The following is a video taken inside the Jack Russell Terrier Museum.  We hope you enjoy it!

Video Page

Exciting news – the Museum will be holding it’s first “Preview Wine & Cheese Open House” on April 26^th at 5:30 PM, the Friday evening before the Mason-Dixon Trial. The Museum is just 15 minutes from the trial site, please come visit and see the progress, and also visit the new JRTCA office. Please email us if you plan to attend at office@jackrussellterriermuseum.com.

Planning for the second Museum Benefit Trial to be held on June 22-23 at the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds in Fredericksburg, VA is well underway. The flyer is posted on the Trials page – please sponsor a class and/or come join us at the trial!

The Museum still needs old photos… We have a lot of people out there who have been long-time members of the JRTCA – last month only one person called and offered photos, thank you Linda Cowasjee, we will be going through them soon! We are particularly in need of some of the early JRTCA or JRTCGB registered terriers who were prominent in early pedigrees. We are also looking for photos of influential breeders, and early judges – both JRTCA and JRTCGB – who are not currently on our lists. We are sure many of you must have some of these photos in your archives. Please send them to us – hard copy by mail, or scan and email in high enough resolution to enlarge. They will become a permanent part of the Museum! We can return original photographs if requested.

If anyone is interested in working on a Museum committee, we have several committees that need volunteers – please contact us!!!

Several meetings of the Museum Board are planned for the coming months. We welcome your input, suggestions or offers to volunteer!

We continue to need donations.  The Museum operates entirely on donations; our only fundraising event so far is the sanctioned trial held annually.  If you have ideas to help with fundraising, we would love to hear from you to keep this important project for the TRUE Jack Russell Terrier moving forward.

Our new address is 16925 York Road, Suite B, Monkton, MD 21111.  This is a very rural location in Maryland fox hunting country.  Plan to visit soon!

We had a bit of a set back as we had to relocate as of December 1, 2018.  The previous location wanted to significantly increase rental costs, so the decision was made to look for another location.  The good news is that a more suitable space was found, and the Museum moved along with the JRTCA offices on December 1, 2018.  There is still much setup to be done!

The new location offers a much more suitable large room, complete with nice spotlights, for the museum.  There is plenty of parking, with an outside garden type area.  The Museum Board and committee is planning to have an open house hopefully in late April.  Watch for more details!

The second Museum Benefit Trial is planned for June 22-23 at the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds in Fredericksburg, VA.  Watch for details here, the flyer will be posted soon – please sponsor a class!

The Museum needs old photos… Particularly of some of the early JRTCA or JRTCGB registered terriers who were prominent in early pedigrees.  We are also looking for photos of influential breeders, and early judges – both JRTCA and JRTCGB – who are not currently on our lists.  We are sure many of you must have some of these photos in your archives.  Please send them to us – hard copy by mail, or scan and email in high enough resolution to enlarge.  They will become a permanent part of the Museum!  We can return original photographs if requested.

If anyone is interested in working on a Museum committee, please contact us!

Our new address is 16925 York Road, Suite B, Monkton, MD 21111.  This is a very rural location in Maryland fox hunting country.  Plan to visit soon!

We have added photo galleries to the Jack Russell Terrier Museum site.   

The first gallery we have posted is from the JRT Museum Benefit trial held in Virginia in June of 2018.

The trial was attended by nearly 200 terriers and their owners, who enjoyed the many terrier events, and a Friday evening dinner and spirits raffle.  Thanks to all who sponsored classes, donated to the raffles, exhibited their terriers, or gave of their time as judges and workers.

View Photo Gallery

It’s been a busy time for the Museum since May!

The first Jack Russell Terrier Museum Benefit Trial was successfully held the weekend of July 16-17^th in Fredericksburg, Virginia.  The trial was attended by nearly 200 terriers and their owners, who enjoyed the many terrier events, and a Friday evening dinner and spirits raffle.  Although expenses were higher than usual since this was the first trial, thanks to all who sponsored classes, donated to the raffles, exhibited their terriers, or gave of their time as judges and workers a nice profit was still achieved. The final financial reports are not yet complete, but we will post the netted amount as soon as they are.

The most exciting news is that we are looking for a farm property to house the Museum, and to offer space for the JRTCA office.  As we began to put together the very basics of a Museum in the current office space, it quickly became obvious that much more would be needed if we were to obtain our goal of preserving the true Jack Russell Terrier – it is so much more than memorabilia on the walls and educational displays.  Hands-on observation and training is such an important part of truly understanding this terrier.

We have had a generous promise of dollars for a sizable down payment, but we will still have to raise considerable funds to make it all happen.  The plan is to find a place that will be the Jack Russell Terrier Homestead – a place that will be welcome all Jack Russell Terrier owners to not only visit the museum, but to be able to observe and do everything the true working Jack Russell does.  A place where training, trialing, natural earthwork, and more can be offered.  A place where Jack Russell enthusiasts can spend a terrier week or weekend, and learn everything there is to know about the Jack Russell Terrier, thus ensuring its future.

We will be beginning our fundraising campaign for The Homestead in the next week or so.  A GO-FUND-ME page is being set up, and you can of course make donations through PayPal on this site – just mark it for THE HOMESTEAD!  Every amount, no matter how small or large, will help us reach this important goal!

You can help by spreading the word to anyone and everyone who might want to make a donation to preserve the true Jack Russell Terrier!

Please check back frequently to see our progress.

Also, don’t forget we are still collecting unique Jack Russell related items for the museum.  We also need photos of many of the early terriers that were influential in breeding throughout the past 30-35 years, and also those from England that were in so many pedigrees.

We will have a booth at the JRTCA National Trial in Boonsboro, MD October 12-14^th.  If you will be attending the Nationals, or in the area, please stop by and visit us!!