Sodas packaged in glass bottles and shipped in wooden crates. Butter churned at home. Pails of milk fresh from the barn. A water pump resting in the kitchen, awaiting a thirsty passerby.

The Prince of Orange Miniature Society dollhouse, fashioned as a compliment to those memories and more, is now at home at the Orangeburg County Library.

The society, chartered in 1980 with 20 members, began working on the dollhouse, which was originally placed in the Orangeburg hospital, in May 1981. Martha Smith, the club’s first president, inspired members to work individually or in teams to complete one of the seven rooms that would make up the main structure, a window into American life.

“We had a really good group,” Smith said.

Originally, a junior club of boys and girls designed the attic and art studio. The nursery, den, kitchen, dining room, master bedroom, boy’s room and bathroom boxes were specially constructed to slide into the house shell, built by Ed Brooks.

Cheryl Baugh, current club president, said the protective plexiglass cover was placed on the face of the unit for display and to preserve the tiny furniture and unique articles that add character to the house. Several trinkets – including a washtub in the kitchen, a shoeshine stool and pull-chain on the toilet in the bathroom, and an old black-and-white television in the den – provide a unique look into American history and every day life, as it was years ago.

“The dollhouse is a wonderful addition to the library, creating a great deal of interest and excitement for the children, as well as adults,” said Paula Paul, OCL director. “We are appreciative of the Prince of Orange Miniature Society for providing the dollhouse for the enjoyment of the community.”

“The staff especially likes the miniature books,” she added, referring to paperbacks placed throughout the nearly 3-foot-tall structure.

On display in Orangeburg County Library for the community’s viewing pleasure, the dollhouse provides a unique reference point for discussion. Many of the items in the house are miniatures constructed from kits or designed completely by hand and molded after those from a simpler time in U.S. history. From the attic to the kitchen, and even in the bathroom, nostalgia reaches the eye of the beholder.

“Children and adults are enjoying the dollhouse,” said children’s librarian Lorene Dennis. “The children are enthralled with the size of the furnishings. They particularly comment on the ’tiny flags’ and other patriotic items, which are in the dollhouse in observation of Memorial Day and Independence Day.”

According to Baugh, the Prince of Orange Miniature Society, with its seven devoted members, will decorate the house for Halloween, Christmas and Easter, as well as the current patriotic holidays.

A frequent library patron, Jordan Franklin said she has a dollhouse in her bedroom at home, “a pink and blue and white” one. She likes decorating the rooms and reading stories to her dolls in their four-bedroom house, which also includes a bathroom, kitchen, den, playroom and porch.

The 6-year-old’s favorite doll is Dora the Explorer, and her preferred books are those about the popular children’s character.

“I play with my dolls. They eat, sit on the couch and lie down,” said Franklin, who cooks meals of pizza, macaroni and rice for her tenants.

Franklin said she and her cousin, Nya, have fun pushing the dolls in a stroller and taking them on “trips” to the park and museum, re-enacting experiences they have with their own families.

When the young girl observed the rooms of the dollhouse on display in the library, she recognized the wooden crate with bottled Coca-Cola products in the kitchen.

“I saw those in the Coke place,” she said excitedly, referring to the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta she visited with her family.

There is something for nearly everyone inside the unique dollhouse, and for those interested in seeing a tiny antique shop, the Prince of Orange Miniature Society has one on display in the main lobby of The Oaks.

“We are working from a kit to construct a row of shops that will hopefully be finished and available for viewing by October this year,” Baugh said, adding that the buildings include a bridal shop, toy store, gardening center, jewelry store, pet shop, quilting store, furniture store, Christmas shop and soda fountain. The exhibit will be presented at the Orangeburg County Library and state and regional meetings of miniature society enthusiasts.

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