Teeny Tiny Graeme Park: Part II

You  may remember way back when we featured miniature versions of Graeme Park that had been crafted over the years. Well, a new version has come to light, and I'm happy to say that we are in possession of it.

Approximately 2 years ago we were contacted by Millie Wintz, who was active in the York Road Historical Society, served on Upper Moreland’s Historical Commission, and is an expert on the history of our area, with a particular interest in the mills on the Pennypack Creek. The reason for Millie’s email was to offer us a miniature version of Graeme Park and two dolls, one of Elizabeth, and one of Henry, that she had created back in the 1970s and used when she gave lectures and presentations on local history to various groups. Millie was cleaning out and preparing for a big move cross-county, so when the items did not materialize, we figured she had run out of time and took them with her or found some other caretaker for them.

That is until we received a recent phone call letting us know the caller, a friend of Millie's, was on her way with the house and dolls! The model of the Keith House is constructed out of foam core, with meticulous details including the gambrel roof, stones, windows, doors, and roof shingles drawn on.

 

The roof, featuring all five dormers, lifts off and Elizabeth and Henry, in period clothing, reside inside.

Their heads, arms, and legs are made from kaolin, a fine white clay normally used for porcelain, that was dug from the Pennypack Creek and they are stuffed with sand. Their outfits, which are removable, are detailed right down to shoes, stockings, and undergarments.

 

Elizabeth's likeness was based on a drawing of Elizabeth that is in our collection, and Henry, since there are no known portraits of him, was simply made up.

 

Nestled in the bottom of the house is a small, handmade scrapbook, covered in the same fabric Elizabeth’s dress is made from, that contains a bit of the history of Graeme Park and Elizabeth Graeme, a newspaper clipping about a student film that was made in 1976 by Upper Moreland School District elementary school students, the clothing patterns, and ribbons the dolls were awarded when they were displayed at the PHMC’s Bicentennial Doll Exhibit.