“The World of Children” Falls Co. Museum Exhibit

The Falls County Historical Museum opened to the public on Thursday, Dec. 11 to showcase “The World of Children” Exhibit, featuring the Nettie Allen Doll Collection.

The collection was assembled by Bolivar Lang Falconer for his sister Nettie, Mrs. W. H. Allen. The dolls were collected during his world travels between 1900 and 1953, the year of his death.

In many instances, this unique collection contains pairs of dolls representing the countries he visited. There are dolls made of bisque, papier-mache, felt composition, and cloth.

Falconer was the first paid passenger to fly around the world. An air map of the world from that time was available for viewing, highlighting the routes Falconer took in his multiple trips, along with his book “Flying Around the World.”

The collection was donated to the museum by Mrs. Hazel Bennett Falconer Goddard.

In addition to the displays showcasing dolls in all shades, styles, and materials, the museum offered a variety of homemade cookies to visitors, along with a booklet featuring all the recipes made to share. Selections included Coconut Washboards, Christmas Fruit Cookies, Nut Drop Cookies, Sweet Potato Drop Cookies, and many more.

Museum Curator Bevann Stone said it took about a year to put this particular exhibit together.

“It takes time to do any of this,” Stone said, gesturing around the space. “I’m not in charge of everything but I’m the one who takes the time to do this museum, cataloging and doing the whole 9 yards around here.”

In the near future, Stone plans to feature another exhibit on Mineral Water and Medicine, so keep an eye on the “Around Town: Falls County Community Calendar” published in every edition for details on when the exhibit is available for viewing.