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Haunted Doll House Museum in Granbury, Texas

[ For my FREE book about cemetery symbols, click here. The following article is an adapted excerpt from my travel guide to haunted places called, Paranormal Texas. Full disclosure: it’s an Amazon affiliate link. If you buy stuff after clicking it, I make a few pennies at no additional cost to you. Win/win, right?]

Doll House Museum, Granbury, TX
Doll House Museum, Granbury, TX [photo (c) Tui Snider]

Doll House Museum in Granbury, Texas

The Granbury Doll House Museum has over 2500 dolls from around the world.  The dolls are on display throughout a two-story historic home that, when you think about it, kinda looks like a great big dollhouse.

This unique museum was founded by Jane Sharp and Barbara Williams. Jane and Barbara are sisters, and their Doll House Museum is truly a labor of love. The top floor of the house serves as a doll hospital, and is where the women painstakingly restore these historic playthings.

Doll House Museum, Granbury, TX [photo (c) Tui Snider]
Doll House Museum, Granbury, TX [photo (c) Tui Snider]

A labor of love

A walk through the Granbury Doll House reveals everything from mass-produced Barbies and G.I. Joes to handcrafted one-of-a-kind pieces from famous doll makers.

Many of the dolls are donated by family members who no longer want them, but realize their historic significance. When there are no descendants to take these special dolls, Jane and Barbara fix them up and display them to the public.

Doll House Museum, Granbury, TX [photo (c) Tui Snider]
Doll House Museum, Granbury, TX, Vicky shows us the Dolly Rekord doll. [photo (c) Tui Snider]

Thomas Edison’s Dolly Rekord Doll

One of the most unique exhibits is a 1922 Dolly Rekord doll. It contains a wax cylinder created by Thomas Edison that allows it to “speak.” (Watch my YouTube video about the Granbury Doll House if you want to see and hear this amazing historic doll in action!)

When I asked museum volunteer, Vicky, which doll was her favorite, she immediately showed us this fascinating, and very historic, Dolly Rekord doll that you can see in the above photo.

Doll House Museum, Granbury, TX [photo (c) Tui Snider]
Doll House Museum, Granbury, TX. Selfie with Rhett and Scarlet. [photo (c) Tui Snider]

Fun for all ages

On my first visit, I had a couple men in tow. I didn’t think they would find the place interesting, but we ended up staying for nearly 2 hours! Although I did have a Raggedy Ann, a few Barbies, and a Little Women doll (Jo, the writer, of course!), I was quite a tomboy growing up. So even I wasn’t sure how fun the doll museum would be. Well, let me tell you: if you enjoy history and toys, you will love Granbury’s Doll House Museum. The women who work there are so knowledgeable.

Doll House Museum, Granbury, TX [photo (c) Tui Snider]
“Clowning” around at the Doll House Museum, Granbury, TX [photo (c) Tui Snider]

But is it a haunted doll museum?!?

As our visit drew to a close, I finally mustered up the courage to ask if the sisters ever experience paranormal activity at the museum. Some people are touchy about this, depending on their belief system, and the the last thing I wanted to do was irritate those lovely ladies!

The two merely laughed and told me the Granbury Doll House has its “share of spirits.” They went on to explain that not only do the Pirates of the Caribbean figures rearrange themselves on the shelf, but they often find some of them on the floor, as if they had been fighting.

Doll House Museum, Granbury, TX [photo (c) Tui Snider]
Doll House Museum, Granbury, TX. The top light turns on by itself! [photo (c) Tui Snider]

Who’s afraid of the dark?

Another strange occurrence involves the second floor light. Even when they are sure they have turned it off, it often turns itself back on. When I suggested that perhaps one of the dolls is afraid of the dark, the women murmured that I just may have something there!

You can also watch my video of the Granbury Doll House Museum here:

Paranormal investigation at the haunted doll museum!

A few months later, I returned after hours to attend a paranormal investigation led by Greg Steven’s group, TxRIP. A command center was erected outside by the garage, and the air-conditioning was turned off inside the house.

This made for quite a hot experience. While I didn’t enjoy the sweat dripping down my back, this lack of a/c made the sudden pockets of ice-cold air during our investigation very obvious!

Doll House Museum, Granbury, TX [photo (c) Tui Snider]
TX RIP investiaged the Doll House Museum, Granbury, TX [photo (c) Tui Snider]

The results?

None of us felt anything sinister in the doll museum, but TX RIP detected several anomalies on their videos. You can visit their Facebook page, where they share results from their investigations by clicking here.

According to fellow author and noted psychic, Teal Gray, “For me, the highest concentration of energy was located near the stairs and the rooms to each side of the kitchen,” adding that, “A mischievous boy doll on top of the refrigerator with a big smile on his face seemed delighted we were there.” Overall, according to her psychic impressions, “The spirits seem to be very happy with Barbara and Jane running the museum .”

Doll House Museum, Granbury, TX [photo (c) Tui Snider]
Doll House Museum, Granbury, TX. Psychic, Teal Gray, joined the investigation. [photo (c) Tui Snider]

Plan your trip to the Granbury Doll House Museum

If you’d like to visit the museum, you’ll need to take a trip to Granbury, Texas. The museum is open most weekends from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. but I would check their Facebook page before going. Admission is free, and if the American flag is out, the museum is open.

To learn the spooky-but-true history behind a whole bunch more haunted places in North Texas, check out my travel guide: Paranormal Texas.

Let me know if you go to the Granbury Doll House or any of the other places in my books! And be sure to tell the ladies that Tui sent you! :)

Address: 421 Bridge Street, Granbury, Tx 76048

Website: www.facebook.com/TheGranburyDollHouse

What about you?

Think you’d enjoy visiting the Granbury Doll House Museum? Or would all the dolls make you nope right out of there?

READ MY BOOKS: To see a list of all my published books, check out Tui  Snider’s Amazon page. 

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2 Comments

  1. Guy Guy

    maybe you would like to buy my Doll
    please go to eBay and find her there # is Vintage Creepy Spooky Doll With Hypnotic Eyes Age 1950’s… (262674094060)

    • Hey, Guy! Don’t think I need a creepy doll, but maybe someone else will see your offer. Thanks! :)

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