the Cento

The Great American Dollhouse Museum is one of Danville’s most interesting cultural institutions. Through the innovative use of dolls and dollhouses, the museum tells the story of the history of America. Curator and owner Lori Kagan-Moore said that they “actually consider it a social history museum in miniature because it’s about the day-to-day lives of ordinary people in times gone by.” You don’t see just military or governmental history, as is often the case in many American history museums. From the earliest days of American history through the present era, the museum presents the life of actual Americans in intricate detail.

The museum was opened in 2008. According to Kagan-Moore, “We have purchased these dollhouses and other buildings from all over the country, and traveled all over the country to pick them up.” However, the museum doesn’t need to purchase all of its displays. Kagan-Moore noted that “since we opened, we have gotten a lot of donations.”

The concept of social history is easy to identify in many of the museum’s displays. One of the museum’s special features is the village of Copper Hollow, a fictional town constructed as realistically as possible to give the viewer the feel of observing an actual city from above. The level of detail is staggering. Entire city squares are presented, complete with dancing revelers and cheerful street vendors. Taverns and churches are on display with practically lifelike detail, and the viewer is granted a peek inside incredibly detailed homes and their occupants.

The museum does not solely dedicate itself to history. Sometimes, it allows its displays to go on flights of fantasy. Beside the village of Copper Hollow lies the Fantasy Forest, a whimsical land of magical beings surrounded on all sides by a huge and mystical cavern. The section is dedicated to mythical creatures from all over the world. Trolls, dragons, elves and witches can all be found in the display, along with a detailed history of their mythology. There is even a display of centaurs attending a “Centaur College” which may seem rather familiar to the Centre student who sees its double-C logo.

Including this pun in her enchanted forest was an obvious choice for Kagan-Moore. “There are a lot of Centre connections at the Dollhouse Museum,” Kagan-Moore said. Her husband, Patrick Kagan-Moore, is a professor of dramatic arts at Centre. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the museum’s connection to drama and Centre theater is quite strong. Faculty and staff from Centre helped develop and design the interior of the museum (but not the dollhouses themselves). The Centre Players, a group of students interested in the dramatic arts in all forms, have hosted their annual “Poe Poe Poe!” and “Ho Ho Ho!” events at the museum for the past few years.

Sophomore Andrew Stairs is the secretary of the Centre Players and helped to organize the events at the museum. “One of the things not provided on campus is an outlet for storytelling,” Stairs said. To remedy that situation, the Centre Players do performances at the museum on both Halloween and Christmas. “What basically happens is we put together a reception about 30 minutes beforehand. We’re inviting people to come and have a good time with stories. We want to show off the museum as well. We get together and read stories based on the theme of the evening. ‘Poe Poe Poe!’ was a bunch of Halloween stories, not necessarily by Poe. ‘Ho Ho Ho!’ is basically the same, but with Christmas stories.” With the museum’s dramatic background and unique setting, a better location for these storytelling events could not be found.

The Great American Dollhouse Museum is an amazing and unique piece of Danville life that makes for a great place to spend an afternoon browsing. The passion that Mrs. Kagan-Moore has put into the building is incredible, and that passion is very obviously put on display everywhere in the museum. From the history of America to an enchanted forest, a visit to the Great American Dollhouse is a necessary and transformative experience.

The Great American Dollhouse Museum is located at 307 N. 6th St., right off of Lexington Ave.