Introducing Merryweather Anne Farmhouse

My name is Merryweather Anne Farmhouse, but I am better known as Merry. I'm not entirely sure how I ended up on this blog. It would seem that I must play two roles. You see, I was carved by Wanda Harrigan from wood from an old farmhouse in Oklahoma. My wood dates back to the 1880's, although we are not entirely sure exactly how old my wood is.

I, on the other hand, am much younger. I was carved in 2017 and came to live with my current owner on Christmas of 2017. I was a Christmas present to her from her husband. I can already tell that I am a very cherished little doll of six and one quarter inches tall.

Long before my owner opened the stuffy little box I was shipped to her in, she made me a lovely little gown and pantalettes from an antique pillowslip (or pillowcase as they are more commonly called today). The pillowslip is assumed to be from the 1930's-1950's so isn't quite as old as my wood. It is made of a lovely cotton that has a texture that is a pure joy to wear, and I'm told was a pure joy for my owner to work with while sewing it.

But that's not all my new owner did before receiving me. After seeing just one picture of me not only did she know she had to have me but I am told that she began writing a story about me that she is turning into a book.

It's in the pages of that book that my double role comes in. My new owner wrote a wonderful story about all the things she imagines my wood might have seen over the many years it was part of an old farmhouse. Because writing about a new doll made of old wood held no appeal to my owner, she chose instead to write a story about me set when my wood became part of an old house.

The old house I came from saw many, many things over the years. Because I was a part of that house, I saw just as many things. I wish I could tell you all the stories I saw over all those years. In that house I saw the passing of the 1800's and the coming of the 1900's. I saw the ever shortening of ladies skirts until those skirts gave way to little scraps of material hardly big enough to make a dress for me. I saw wars, the depression, births and deaths, laughter and tears. I saw horse drawn carriages give way to motorized vehicles. I also saw the changing of centuries...twice. Let's just say that my wood has seen so much that it could fill vast volumes to overflowing and still have more to tell.

If only my wood could tell all those stories.

Without the ability to find out just what it is my wood has seen, my owner did the next best thing, she wrote a book all about my wood. My new owner did not think a story written about an old house would be much fun so she chose to write a story about a little wooden doll...me.

She set the story in the 1880's and in the pages of her book she gave me to a wonderful little girl of 8 years old. There is much history woven into the pages of my story but I will leave you to learn just what that is in the pages of my book, 'The Wonderful Adventures of Merryweather Anne Farmhouse'.