Thursday, December 13, 2018

Christmas Toys: Featured Artifacts


It's the time of year when people are busy shopping for holiday gifts.  What did children of the Circa 1920 era receive as Christmas gifts? The Benton County Historical Museum collection contains several toys which the donors said they received as gifts.

“Santa” brought this doll-sized toy stove at Christmas in 1914 or 1915. It was originally silver in color.
As a child in 1914, Winnibeth McDowell received a gift of this coin bank in the shape of a 20-story building.
Educational toys are nothing new. This slate, with letters and numbers that could be moved around onto the central groove, was patented in 1917.  It was a gift to donor Ivan Burkert in 1922.





This doll carriage was a Christmas gift to Bird Johnson in 1923.  She played with it as did her children.





Happy shopping! Which of today's toys do you suppose will end up in a museum in the future?

By Martha Fraundorf, Volunteer for Benton County Historical Society, Philomath, Oregon

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