Toys

The Middleville and District Museum offers visitors a glimpse into the lives of children in years gone by through its collection of toys. The Museum has an assortment of dolls from the late 1800's to the mid 1900's made from a variety of materials. The heads were ususlly ceramic. The bodies were often fashioned out of cloth and sometimes stuffed with straw. A few examples of dolls with bodies carved from wood are on display. Girls would practice their sewing skills by making additional clothing for their dolls. Sets of tiny dishes were part of play for decades. Carved toys included horses and sleighs. Rocking horses were always popular with youngsters. As trains and cars came onto the scene, replicas of these vehicles were in demand as toys. The Museum's collection includes a xylophone, a miniature iron, a hand saw and a set of building blocks.