Ken's Colonial Collection of Lighted Houses & Miniatures

This is an update of a posting I wrote back in 2012 - seven years ago as of this writing - and since then I have accumulated a pretty good collection of figurines and accessories to add to my ever-growing colonial village.

Plus, there is some history included, to boot!

~   ~   ~ 

Since discovering Dept. 56 back in 1989, I have become a fan - a collector - of the small lighted houses. Though my main collection is their Dickens Village, with the various Dickensian characters such as Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, etc. (click HERE to see my post on that from 2011), I have ventured off a bit over the last few years to collect other series, such as Sleepy Hollow and other Hallowe'en houses (click HERE), and also a few odds & ends showing Victorian times. I've even had a few 1940s through the 1960s Americana buildings such as a Dairy Queen, a drive in restaurant, and a gas station (though those have been packed away so good I forgot where I put them). A good many of the houses in the various collections are designed from an artist's imagination seemingly based on nostalgia, but the improvement over the years to bring out much more accurate looking buildings, designed from actual structures, has taken precedence, including Big Ben and Gadshill Place in the Dickens series.
But I have mentioned to my wife quite frequently on how cool it would be to have actual historical houses - American historical homes - from the early days of our country's founding, as a collection.
It took a while, but in 2010: "A new porcelain Village series "Williamsburg" delighted Village collectors and history buffs alike. This series was formally introduced at a collectors' event held in historic Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia in October with Village artist, Jeff Junkins present for the entire event." (from the Department 56 site)
This is the first time, to my knowledge, that the company had concentrated on an actual historic village, and I was pretty darned...well...ecstatic, to say the least. So I began purchasing them until I got nearly the entire Williamsburg village. To be honest, I couldn't afford the prices being asked by the company itself, but by searching on the internet daily and having patience, I was able to locate a few of the houses at, in most cases, half off or more the original asking price, allowing me to acquire pretty much all but a very few in the collection.

I don't have a large house - bungalows usually aren't - and therefore space is limited, so I have to put my lighted house collection on a wall shelf and on top of my computer desk.
So, beginning with my wall shelf, here is my colonial village display:

My colonial mainstreet.

Now, just so you don't think I am blindly purchasing this Williamsburg set by name alone, I did a bit of comparison on the original structures to see how closely they resembled their ceramic counterparts.
Perfectly! They matched perfectly!
So, what I have here are photos of the original buildings as they sit in Colonial Williamsburg followed by the Dept. 56 miniatures I had purchased.
You be the judge:

The home of George Wythe, built in the early 1750's. Besides being elected to the House of Burgesses in Virginia and Mayor of Williamsburg, Mr. Wythe, a "profound lawyer" (according to Benjamin Rush) was also a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson called Wythe "my second father, my faithful and beloved mentor in my youth and my most affectionate friend through life."
Yes, that's me you see at the door.

And here is the Dept. 56 ceramic version of the Wythe house.
I need a ceramic figurine of me at the door.

King's Arms Tavern: This was one of the best-known taverns in Williamsburg and, during the Revolutionary War, the proprietress, Mrs. Jane Vobe, provided food and drink to the Patriots fighting the Redcoats.

Dept. 56's accurate rendition of the King's Arm Tavern

The Taliaferro-Cole House. This place was originally owned by Charles Taliaferro from the mid-18th century until he sold it to Jesse Cole in 1804. Charles was a well-known coachmaker as well as a merchant and also owned the shop next to it to sell his wares.

Here is Dept. 56's fine replication of the Taliaferro-Cole House.

Here is the original Taliaferro-Cole Shop. When Charles Taliaferro owned it in the late 18th century, he sold "an assortment of lines, shoes, saddles, bar iron, candles, nails, and brads." When Jesse Cole purchased it in 1804 it continued as a general store and a post office as well.

And here is the Dept. 56 replica of the Taliaferro-Cole Shop.

Dating from 1715, parishioners of Bruton Church sat in boxed pews, their walls providing privacy and protection from drafts. In the early years the sexes sat apart. A vestry book entry for January 9, 1716, says:

"Ordered that the Men sitt on the North side of the church, and the women on the left."

A succession of galleries was built for particular groups beneath the soaring ceiling. For example, on July 10, 1718, William and Mary students were assigned a gallery that still stands. Exterior stairs were added for access to some of these railed, overhanging rows of benches. In 1744, the building was enlarged, and in 1752 the vestry voted to make the east end as long as the west, extending the chancel 25 feet to the east. The assembly paid for the work, and it was completed in 1755.   Among the men of the Revolution who attended Bruton Parish Church were Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, George Wythe, Patrick Henry, and George Mason.

And here is Department 56's miniature of Bruton Parish Church.

Tarpley's Store: John Tarpley began his store at this location in 1755.

And here is the copy

Next up we have a building that is not located in Colonial Williamsburg but in Philadelphia. I am including it in my Williamsburg collection for two reasons: 1) because it fits the colonial look of the 18th century (obviously). And 2) because there is no other historical collection of lighted houses that I can put it with. So, what else am I supposed to do?
Don't worry, I do let folks know about it when they see my set up, just as I am doing now.
So...the original...

 ~No...not in Colonial Williamsburg, but Pennsylvania~

Construction of the Pennsylvania State House, which came to be known as Independence Hall, began in 1732. At the time it was the most ambitious public building in the thirteen colonies. It wasn't until 1753, 21 years after the groundbreaking, before it was completed. Independence Hall is, by every estimate, the birthplace of the United States. It was within its walls that the Declaration of Independence was adopted. It was here that the Constitution of the United States was debated, drafted and signed. That document is the oldest federal constitution in existence and was framed by a convention of delegates from 12 of the original 13 colonies.

And here is the wonderful miniature from Dept. 56.

Having the lighted houses are fine and all, but it's the accessories that will make any ceramic village seemingly come to life. Dept. 56 did have people to go with the houses, but they didn't seem to have enough interest in this series (or it was not a big seller), for the Williamsburg Village was cancelled after only a few years, and so figurines were few and far between. However, it was in 2018 that I inadvertently discovered (through another miniatures collector) there were plenty more 18th century accessories than what Department 56 had available, though from another company. It seems that back in the 1990s Lang & Wise, through the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, not only put out a collection of houses, but, more importantly, period 18th century figurines.
I was elated.
However, I also learned that the houses put out by Lang & Wise were quite a bit smaller than the Dept. 56 size, and they didn't light up either. To top it off, the house sizes make the figurines that supposedly are to go with them look like they are much too large - they might be giants.
Needless to say, I am not interested in the Lang & Wise houses.
As for the people/accessories, I, once again, delved into the search engines of the internet, finding many, if not most from the L&W figurines at pretty good prices. Remember - you need to have patience. If you wait long enough, that $30 or $40 piece can be found at $10 or $15.
So, please allow me to introduce you to the townsfolk of my colonial village:

What would a 1770s colonial town be without a fife and drum corps?
These are part of the Department 56 collection.

The 'bug-eyed' town-crier sort of fellow to the left is not part of any particular series. In fact, he was made by a friend of mine who also made period-correct spoons and knives. I am sad to say he passed away only months ago, so this piece means a lot to me.
On the right we see someone who could be Benjamin Franklin with a young boy. This is from Dept. 56.

A couple more Department 56 figurines:
The soldiers on the left look to be enjoying some off time, sitting near the small cresset flame and "Telling Stories."
On the right is the set called "Going to Church," so naturally I placed them by Bruton Parish.

Another Dept. 56 accessory called "Carter Coach" takes unseen passengers to the next village or town.

We have the "Master Sign Painter" on the left and the "Post Master & Printer" on the right.
By the way, all of the Department 56 Williamsburg houses and accessories have been retired and can only be purchased through collectibles shops (or places like Ebay and Amazon).

If I had one major complaint it would be that all of the Department 56 Williamsburg houses are decorated for Christmas.
I know, I know...that's what they specialize in...
Still, I leave mine up all year long.

For this picture we'll concentrate on the two sets up front, 
again from Dept. 56.
What we have on the left are "Tavern Balladeers," and why wouldn't we? They are standing in front of the King's Arm Tavern.
On the right we have "Caroling in Williamsburg," though I just sort of assume they are singing along to the popular fiddle tune the musicians are playing rather than a Christmas carol.

"Two Men With Cart," put out by Lang & Wise~
 It seems to show the men emptying the cart, so I put it next to the tavern as if they were making a delivery.
What I also like about these figures, besides the high quality detail, is the lack of 'snow,' which seems to be on most Dept. 56 figures.

Another Lang & Wise accessory, this one called "The Mulberry Sociable." Look at the top-notch quality on every part of this. The detail - - ! Even the carriage body sits on springs!

From Department 56 we have, beginning on the left, "Going to the Ball," though for my scene this couple are looking to purchase from the man who has "Silver for Sale." On the right we have "Charlton's Morning Shipment," which looks to be a woman making purchases from the cart of a street vendor 

Lang & Wise: "Strolling Men" and "Strolling Women"~
Excellent depictions of the every man and every woman.
I have them visiting on the street, perhaps preparing to enter the home of Master George Wythe.

More strollers (part of the series in the previous picture). I've had more than one person tell me the gentleman bares a resemblance to me...or I to him. Well, then, this could be my wife Patty strolling with me!
In the background is the figurine that started the whole Lang & Wise collecting for me - "Cooper Making Wooden Barrel."

I received an e-mail not too long ago asking if I knew of a cooper figurine. I told the sender that I knew of no such item. Fortunately for both of us, she dug deep and found this one. I, too, ordered one (my great grand uncle - 2nd great grandfather's brother - was a cooper here in Michigan back in the 1880s) - and I thought it would be a fine choice to have. But once I saw the quality, I began searching for more of the series and found a whole slew of them, so, as mentioned earlier, I began to purchase as many as I could.
All because of an e-mail asking about a cooper.

Remember the 'bug-eyed' town-crier a few photos back? Well, the young man and woman facing each other on the left were made from the same gentleman. Perhaps he is asking to see her and maybe escort her to the dance...
The woman sweeping is from Dept. 56, but I cannot locate her box that denotes the name. But I believe she came from one of the Halloween series, hence the lack of snow at her feet.

It's not often that I have seen African Americans depicted in historic series such as this, but Lang & Wise made a few, including "Carpenter Teaching Son," shown here.
I love having people of color in my collection - and you'll see more as you scroll through this post - for it adds to the over-all realism of the set.

Wait----did you see that?
Yes, this is Paul Revere, galloping along. But, since this is not Lexington, I suppose I could just say he is delivering some important information to sources unknown in any old 18th century town.
He did make more than one ride, you know...
I found this particular figurine at an antique store and was told it was from the 1950s. There is a paper taped to the bottom that says "original Sebastian model," and, upon looking it up, it is of no real value. Except to me, I suppose.

Now, in the next picture, take a look at this version of the Taliaferro-Cole Shop, which is slightly different from the Dept. 56 house I have. And I recently purchased it on Ebay for---$11.00! That's it!
So, of course, since it doesn't have Christmas wreaths in the windows, as does Dept. 56, I put this new "Town Hall Collectibles" version from the 1990s on display, for the quality is top notch.

Lang & Wise "Man and Boy Whittling"~
Everyday folks. This is what I enjoy most.
Yes, I realize the figures are pretty large in comparison to the houses, but if they were to make then compatible in size, then either the figures would have to be awfully small, thus losing much of the detail, or the houses must be made much larger, which would not work for most collectors. 

Now let's take a leap over to the computer desk to see another colonial scene - - - -

~ ~ ~

To begin, here's a bit of information you might find interesting, for it includes the next phase in my miniature collecting:
My very favorite houses inside car magnate Henry Ford's open-air museum of Greenfield Village is the Daggett Farmhouse, originally built around 1750. There is an attachment I have to this house like no other.
And if you didn't know this about me, then you must be brand new to reading my blog!
But this breakback/saltbox-style home is, to me, the epitome of 18th century architecture.
Here it is:

The 1750 Daggett Farm

Though it was originally built in Connecticut over 250 years ago, it was painstakingly dismantled and relocated to its new and permanent 'home' at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan in the mid-1970s.
And right next to the Daggett house we find the Cape Cod Farris Windmill, built in 1633, also carefully taken apart and removed to the internationally known open air museum.

The 1633 Farris Windmill

This windmill was once the oldest on Cape Cod, and it originally stood at the road to West Yarmouth, Massachusetts. It was a gift to Henry Ford from his Ford dealership employees nationwide back in 1936, and now currently sits at the southeast end of Greenfield Village, right next to the Daggett Farmhouse.

Being that the Dagget house is my favorite, I've often thought how great it would be to have a Department 56 version for my collection.
Hmmm...
It was back during the latter part of this century's first decade that a friend of mine and his then fiance were at a local collectibles store, and they made sure they stopped by to tell me that they had seen a lighted ceramic Dept. 56 Daggett-style house for sale there.
Of course, I went to the store myself to see it.
Yep - there it was! And it was beautiful. In fact, there were four of these houses sitting on the shelf. Since they were a discontinued Dept. 56 product, thus considered used, they had no box or packaging of any kind.
And, unfortunately, they were also rather pricey, so I decided to pass on owning one, though I thought about this ceramic version of Daggett and how cool it would've looked on my shelf. I really wanted to get it, but I just couldn't pay the extravagant price.
I decided to see what I could find on Ebay.
Wise choice, for there it was, listed under the title "Home Sweet Home."
And guess what? With it came, in the same box, a windmill. A windmill that looked suspiciously like the Farris Windmill at Greenfield Village.
It wasn't being sold that way at the store - - - hmmm...something's amiss here...so I decided to go back to the collectibles store and let them know.
They could not care any less. How sad...
No matter, for the price for both items - the house and the windmill - in the original packaging, was less than half the price of just the house by itself from that shop.
Needless to say I bought it off Ebay.
It took only a few days til my package arrived - and here they are together:

And this is how the two structures look as they sit inside Greenfield Village:

Compare the two photos - - - - pretty cool, huh?

After researching it a bit I found out that the two Dept. 56 ceramics were introduced in 1988 and were discontinued in 1991. They are v-e-r-y close in comparison, especially considering they came in the same box.
But, alas, it was not replicated after the two Greenfield Village; Dept. 56's website says that the house was, "Inspired by the East Hampton, NY historic landmark home of John Howard Payne, composer of 'Home Sweet Home'."
Does the Payne home have similarities to Daggett?
Why, of course!

The home of John Howard Payne - with windmill

Even though it is not Daggett and Farris, I still think of it as such, so now I sort of have my own personal corner of Greenfield Village as well as the landmark historical home of the "Home Sweet Home" composer John Howard Payne all in one. Or two.
Who could ask for anything more, right?
But for this history nerd, owning "the Daggett Farm" wasn't enough. Besides the town miniatures you saw above, I also learned that Lang & Wise put out farming figurines as well. And since I am interested in historic farming, I dove head-first into this collection, once again blending Department 56 and Lang & Wise, and put together a colonial farm scene, and with a little imagination, we can get a slight idea of how the Daggett farm (or one similar) may have looked 250 years ago:

In this first picture we have the Dept. 56 House and Windmill.
However - - - - 

*poof* the windmill is gone.

Instead, I found a hay cart and had to add it to the scene. I only have so much room on the shelf and the accessory collection kept a-growing, so I removed the windmill to continue adding to the farm. No worries, though, for the windmill is in a safe place, ready to be brought back out when I am able to utilize a larger space for display. 

By the way, the ceramic house was originally painted green, but I repainted it a darker gray in order to give it a more "Daggett" look.
Now, let's get a closer glance at the accessories and figurines that make up my 18th century farm:

In my farm world there's always a touch of fall and harvest time:
from the left we see pumpkins, a corn shock, and a wood pile, all of which I picked up at Michael's, the arts and crafts store. We also see apples being pressed into cider. "Running the Apple Press" is a Dept. 56 figure from the, I believe, 'Snow Village' series. The woman is not dressed 18th century but, rather, 19th century. It is the only cider press figure I've ever seen, so it has to work for now.
Next to her we see an 18th century woman of African descent "Cooking Over a Fire" (Lang & Wise). Perhaps she is making dinner for the farm family and farm hands.

As we make our way along the front of the house - - -

The next piece is Dept. 56 - "Churning Temptation,"  which shows that ancient chore of churning milk into butter. Again, like the apple press woman, the fashion depicts the 19th century. And then we have a woman doing that time-honored craft of spinning wool into yarn. This is another very old piece put out in the 1950s by Sebastion Miniatures that I found in an antique store.
We have another Dept. 56 figure showing the necessary chore of candle dipping. Since my wife spins and since I dip candles, both were must haves for me.
And then, as we move away from the house, we see out-door chores with "Women Picking Vegetables."
All hands on deck when it comes to harvesting crops.
Oh---and note the "Water Well" behind the churner (left), and the flat bed cart with hay, both from Lang & Wise.

Heading out toward the field we see more field work:

"Working in the Field With Oxen" is another Lang & Wise miniature.
From the clothing to the work, I have never seen accessories like these before - actual farm work depictions from the colonial period.

The little ones around the farm tend to the chickens, roosters, and the eggs. In the center background we see "Girl Chasing Rooster" from Lang & Wise, while on the right the Dept. 56 figure is called "Gathering Eggs."

The Lang & Wise figure center left is called "Dairymaid Leading Cow," while the woman milking a cow is simply called "Dairymaid Milking."

I have a sort of wooden sheep pen, for sheep shearing is to take place. We just happened to find it in Frankenmth (Michigan) and bought it because I knew I could use it. Some of the sheep are from my parent's Christmas manger scene they purchased back in 1949/1950.

And here we are: two women "Shearing Sheep" (as this figurine is called) while another watches the flock.

Lang & Wise "Plowing in the Field With Oxen"~
And, since I've actually plowed behind a team of horses, this is a special accessory for me, even though it is oxen and not horses.
Seriously...how many people would get so excited about a plowing accessory?
Well...me, for one!

In fact, this entire collection is pretty exciting to me, especially since I, as a historical presenter, speak about colonial farming at reenactments, schools, libraries, or wherever me and my presentation partner are asked to go.
And, of course, I also speak as Paul Revere when asked.
This miniature collection really does fit in well with my love and fascination - infatuation? - for the colonial period in America's history, as well as with Greenfield Village's Daggett Farm in particular. I suppose it's a sort of could it have been like this?
Too bad I don't have more room to spread it out a bit more...
Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this little reprieve from the modern world. In this day and age of insane Facebook anything goes craziness, I try to surround myself with the little things that help to get me through life.
Some people have sports. Others travel.
I have history.

Thanks for stopping by.
Until next time, see you in time.



To read more about the Daggett House, click HERE
To read about my Dept. 56 Dickens Village collection, click HERE
To read about everyday life on a colonial farm, click HERE.
And to read about my Colonial Williamsburg adventure, click HERE

~   ~   ~