New original doll exhibit features historical figures

The Bannock County Historical Museum has a new doll exhibit.

But they aren’t just ordinary dolls; they’re historical figures.

Famous figures such as President Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd, George and Martha Washington, Benjamin Franklin, FDR and John Paul Jones line the shelves of the new exhibit.

Donated from the private collection of Hatch’s Haus of Dolls in Chubbuck, the dolls are a rare find for the museum.

Even though the museum has a lot of special exhibits, what makes the dolls unique is that they are the only known figures of their kind in the state of Idaho. They were originally created by the United States Capitol Historical Society.

The dolls are also special because of their life-like detail and historical accuracy. The intricate detail is what impresses people the most.

“Most people are amazed because when you see them in person, it really is incredible how much detail,” said Lynn Murdoch, director of the Bannock County Historical Museum. “They’re detailed right down to the buttons and the shoes and the fabrics.”

Carli Chesebro, the collections manager at the museum, said she was excited when she first saw them. She said they really look real.

“You look at them and you’re like ‘Yep, that’s definitely George Washington. Oh, yep, that’s Lincoln,’ ” said Chesebro. “They really took the photos and they really made them as accurate as they could I think.”

Because the historical dolls were originally so expensive to purchase, there’s only a few of them in the collection.

But Hatch’s Haus of Dolls has thousands of other unique dolls in their collection that the museum is hoping to eventually put on display.

For anyone interested in seeing the dolls, the museum is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.