In March and April while visiting family in the USA, I had the chance to visit the North Carolina Museum of Dolls, Toys, and Miniatures in the historical town of Spencer, North Carolina. Some DCGB members will know Beth Morris who, along with her mother, founded the museum to honor Beth’s sister Amy who died at a young age from illness. Amy was an avid collector of Barbie and had a fine collection of Bob Mackie Barbies which now have their own special case at the museum. I arrived at the museum when they had just opened in their new location and was warmly welcomed by everyone there including Beth herself. There were several knowledgeable volunteers on hand to answer questions about dolls. There were also a couple of volunteers working on the model train set and explaining their vision for the landscape and toy buildings to very excited children. The new location is spacious and bright and there’s room for many more displays. I loved seeing such a broad collection from Izannah Walker and Jumeau bisque dolls to Roy Rogers lunchboxes and American Girls.

The museum also hosts auctions, afternoon teas, and regular sales. I was able to attend their annual Treasures of the Past in-person auction in the community hall around the corner from the museum. I was so impressed with the hard work of the volunteers in organizing more than three hundred lots. The atmosphere was cheerful and we all laughed as we were egged on to keep bidding by auctioneer Nancy Farley. I highly recommend both the museum and auction for their welcoming and positive feeling and the quality of dolls on display and for sale.

From the auction, I brought home a varied selection of dolls including my first low brow ABG doll as well as a few doll tea sets. Luckily, they all survived the flight back to London!

While in the USA, I also attended the Raleigh, North Carolina, Triangle Doll, Toy, and Miniature show organized by Southeastern Doll Shows. Our admission ticket served as our raffle number for door prizes which were announced every half an hour! My mom and I each won a prize and she gave hers to me, so I now have a colorful 1970s Barbie case and a Madame Alexander Elise doll for souvenirs. I also met many doll experts including Robin Wyatt who introduced me to Edith Flack Ackley cloth dolls. Now I am crazy about them and I’m making one of my own.

So, if you find yourself in North Carolina, do treat yourself to a visit to the museum in Spencer and look for further museum and Southeastern Doll Show events. Handy travel tips: There’s also an immense transportation museum in Spencer housed in a colossal former steam locomotive repair shop, so if you’re traveling with others who are not doll enthusiasts, they have an exceptional alternative option. I also recommend the large Habitat for Humanity ReStore charity shop in nearby Salisbury where they have a dedicated section for secondhand fabric, yarn, patterns, craft books, and haberdashery. I found several excellent fabrics for making doll clothes there as well as three uncut cut-and-sew doll and Barbie clothes panels from the 1970s and 80s. 

Photo Left: “Earline is an unmarked composition “Mama Doll” gifted to a young girl in 1926 for her birthday and named for her beloved father Earl. Clothing on display was made by the girl’s grandmother, a descendent of NC governor, Samuel.”

Photo Right: “With fewer than 500 of these dolls in existence, Maggie Bessie is a doll created by sisters from Salem, NC with a unique pattern designed in the early 1980s with muslin fabric and painted faces. Generously donated by Billye Harris.”