News From the Director

Winterfest is back! The holiday season always fills us with joy and gratitude.

We had so much fun as we participated in our town of Spencer's annual Winterfest celebration.

This year, we once again offered half-price admission to the museum so kids and kids-at-heart could enjoy our festive collection, from dollhouses to model trains to nostalgic toys and beyond.

Don't forget to save your seat for our annual Tea with Mrs. Claus event, held inside the museum on December 13! Spots are filling up fast!

Beth M. Nance

Founder and Executive Director

PS - an extra special thanks to those of you who chose to donate or become museum members to celebrate Amy's birthday on November 27. Your kindness and generosity were moving to see. Thank you!

A New Look!

Holiday Art at the Museum

Look at the beautiful holiday scenes that local artist Cherrathee Hager has brought to life outside of the museum - just in time for Winterfest!

We are grateful for this merry & bright showcase. Thank you, Cherrathee!

New in the Gift Shop:

Elf on a Shelf - World's Smallest!

Get the world's smallest Elf on a Shelf to bring holiday charm to your home, car, or office.

At just 6 inches tall, he can stand on his own with moveable arms, legs, and head and an adorable flocked red suit.

Just $10 - very limited quantities, so get yours at the museum gift shop before they vanish!!

New in the Gift Shop:

Doll Face Tote Bags

These sassy and unique Doll Face bags are now available in our gift shop! $35 plus shipping.

Best of Rowan County

2025 Finalists!

A sincere thanks to everyone who took the time to vote for the museum as one of the best destinations here in Rowan County NC.

Your support makes a big difference and helps us bring more visitors of all ages to the museum - from our own area, across the country, and even around the world! Thank you!

Event Recaps:

Spookytober Fun

We loved hosting diverse and creative workshops and experiences throughout our first "Spookytober" month of museum events!

Highlights included doll artwork creations from all ages, costumes and dolly guests at our decorated museum, and the smallest, cutest trick-or-treater pair you've ever seen:

Event Recap:

Schoenhut Collectors' Club Annual Convention

We got the chance to host the annual Schoenhut Collectors' Club Convention here in Spencer! See a few photos from this magical get-together to celebrate a true legend in the world of doll & toy innovation:

Special thanks to museum member Sharron Wofsy for giving us permission to share some of her beautiful photos from the event - and for sharing the kind feedback below:

"Thank you, this was such a fun convention. I met great people and the programs and events were wonderful and so well planned."

And we appreciated these kind words from Cheryl Mahoney:

"Thank you so much for making the Schoenhut Convention such a fun and memorable event!  I'm in awe that our registration fee covered all that the convention provided. Thank you!!"

Museum Moment:

Memorable Visits

These museum visitors are from Yakutsk, Russia - the coldest city on earth! They've relocated since to Raleigh, NC.

And a museum visitor who is 19 weeks pregnant got the chance to hold one of the museum's reborn babies. Adorable!

Collection Spotlight:

Primitive Dolls

Take a look at these primitive dolls from the 1800s! The two large dolls in the back were donated by Latta Foundation, and the other dolls were donated by Martha Saban.

This is one of the beautiful cases that we received from the Kentucky Doll and Toy Museum after they closed.

Collection Spotlight:

Antique Beauty

A STUNNING display of antique dolls, including Kestner, Steiner, Bru, Jumeau, China head, and Heinrich Handwerck head plus a beloved tiny doll in an egg-shaped case with wardrobe. From the collections of Nancy Williams Basham and her mother, Eleanor Edwards Williams.

French Bisque doll from the late 1800s by Casimir Bru with glass eyes, human hair wig, original outfit and shoes:

Small 12-inch German doll with bisque head and an open mouth with teeth. Unmarked maker. Belonged to Eleanor and was one of her favorites. It was passed to her daughter and become one of the inspirations for Nancy to begin collecting additional dolls:

Possible mignonette French doll. Tiny, nestled in a beautiful egg-shaped case with wardrobe:

And finally, an antique doll with a Heinrich Handwerck head. Large with a bisque head, sleep eyes, an open mouth with teeth, and a mohair wig:

Collection Spotlight:

Dollhouses & Miniatures

We celebrate Dollhouse & Miniature Month every October, and if you missed it on our social media pages, we had 2 extra-special spotlights this year.

First, gems from our friends at the Kentucky Doll and Toy Museum - 1948 PLAYSTEEL Tin Litho Dollhouse - 2 displays:

And second, a true celebration of miniature artistry that we are so lucky to have: The Crescent Art House by Life in a Dollhouse.

Ella, aka Life In A Dollhouse, began her miniature artistry at age 11! Building a dollhouse was her dream - years later, that dream has grown into a shop that brings designer-inspired miniatures to life.

Peek inside with our video:

Train Talk:

Lionel Pre-War Collection

Thank you to Ed and the train team for sending us the following history lesson as we celebrated the 11th annual National Lionel Day on December 6:

At our museum, in addition to the wonderful O gauge train layout, we have a small but growing collection of Pre-War toy trains on display.

Most of our collection was made by Lionel, but we also have some Pre-War items made by American Flyer and Ives. Both companies were competitors of Lionel and were eventually purchased by Lionel. In addition, we have an item made by Bing, a German company that went out of business in 1933.

For Lionel the Pre-War era began in 1901 when they produced their first electric toy train. The era ended in early 1942 because of having to switch their production to support the war effort, as did many other companies.

Lionel was no stranger to working with the government: in fact, Joshua Lionel Cowen had a government contract to provide detonators for mines before the company was making toy trains. They also had contracts with the Navy for binnacles and compasses prior to WWII.

The Pre-War era consisted of three basic phases for Lionel:

1. The first trains made by Lionel were produced from 1901 until 1905. They were known as the “Electric Express” and were powered primarily using wet cell batteries with acid. They ran on 2 7/8 gauge tracks with 2 rails. The 2 /7/8 indicate that the distance between the rails was 2 7/8”.
2. The “Standard” gauge era began in 1906. The third rail was introduced at that time. Also, the batteries were replaced with transformers at that time. Both changes made the trains safer and simpler to wire. Lionel introduced the new track size with the distance between the rails 2 1/8”. Lionel marketed the track as “the standard of the world.” Production for Standard gauge trains ended in 1939 due to the depression and emergence of O gauge trains
3. O gauge trains were reluctantly introduced by Lionel in 1915 to compete with other toy train manufacturers. O gauge trains were more affordable since they were smaller in size and ran on tracks with a distance of 1 ¾” between the rails. As a result of the Depression, Lionel prioritized O gauge during the 1930s.

All our “rolling stock” (locomotives and train cars) are currently O gauge, but we are hoping we will be able to add Standard gauge to the museum’s collection in the future.

Special Thanks:

Capturing the Magic

We want to share our gratitude for the folks who take photos and video of the museum's collection and special events to help us spread the magic far and wide.

Your volunteer efforts allow us to showcase the museum not just locally but internationally - even reaching fans who may never be able to join us in-person.

It means a lot to us! Kathy, Deborah, Terri, Trish, Ed, Jim, Rebecca, and others...thank you for your service!

Museum Memberships

This membership list was last updated on November 27, 2025.

Your annual membership provides critical funding for our maintenance, acquisitions, and programming. To see the different levels of membership we offer and sign up, click here.

You can pay your dues by mailing in a check, or you can pay online.

Thank You! 

Thanks to you, our mission continues to preserve history, enrich the community, and spread joy.

Reply to this email if you’d like to connect with a member of our staff, volunteer, share feedback, or make a suggestion. We love hearing from you!