Doll beds and a deep love of history

Collection, time with organizations keep Bloomfield woman busy

BLOOMFIELD -- Judith Sheridan, who has always been interested in history and is active with local historical groups, has many collections, including one of doll beds.

Sheridan said she remembers having a dollhouse built 10 years ago by a Farmington resident that was a replica of her and her husband Terrence's home known as Brownwood near Bloomfield center.

She said she has collected dollhouses but then she also collected doll beds made of oak, which were a large scale and too big to be put inside a doll house.

"Little girls could have dolls that could be placed in the beds to play with," Sheridan said.

She said when she was a child, she had a dollhouse but did not start collecting doll beds until adulthood, so those houses from her childhood are now considered antiques. Sheridan said the doll beds are from the 1930s and are known as Stickley hardwood furniture.

"These doll beds were easier for the children to play with and harder to break," she said.

Sheridan said her collection numbers more than 20 doll beds, which she had either found herself or was given.

"One woman who moved to a condo gave me two she had been given from a teacher. They are twin doll beds that are exactly the same. That is unusual to find two the same," she said.

Because the doll beds are antiques, they are usually found at antique stores. She said the doll beds were probably sold at the old five and dime stores.

At her home, Sheridan has a toy room where the doll beds are displayed. Some of the doll houses have little ironing boards and clothes baskets. On each doll bed is a small quilt made of handkerchiefs that Sheridan makes to fit on each individual bed.

"I use handkerchiefs and little towels for the sheets for the bedding." she said.

Also, paper clips were used to make clothes hangers for the doll houses.

Sheridan also has small log cabins and other doll houses that are an inch to a foot in height.

Sheridan is showing the doll beds at the Bristol Public Library. Last year, she showcased them at the Harriet Taylor Upton House in Warren as an exhibit and after that, many people got in contact with her and gave her doll beds.

"When I take them places, it is the adults who talk to me and reminisce about when they had dollhouses and doll beds. They tell me they had one like that or their sister had one like that and wouldn't let them play with it ," Sheridan said.

She said she loves looking for dollhouses and doll beds and "having fun finding something unique."

Sheridan said she goes to the antique market in Burton.

"People are not collecting what I am interested in. Many collect 1960s things and plastic more modern items," she said

Cheryl French, manager of the Bristol Public Library, said Sheridan has many collections that have been shown over the years at the library. The doll beds are being shown through January.

French said people enjoy seeing the displays at the library, noting what Sheridan shares is always popular.

LOVE OF HISTORY

Sheridan said she and her husband love history and nostalgia. She and her husband were featured recently in "Early American Life" magazine that showcases their home where they have lived for 50 years.

"I have always loved learning about history and sharing it with others," she said.

Their home, Brownwood, which they purchased in 1974 was named for the Ephraim Brown family, who were an early family of the township in 1815. The Federal style 17-room home was built by the Brown family in 1819 after the family moved to the Western Reserve from New Hampshire. The home is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sheridan said she has done seasonal programs on Thanksgiving and other holidays, as well as programs on dishes and glassware.

Sheridan stays active as a member of the Bristol Library Board, Harriet Taylor Upton Association, Midwest Open Air Museum Coordinating Council, Northeastern Ohio InterMuseum Council, and the Western Reserve Architectural Historians.

In 2021, Sheridan received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Ohio Local History Alliance for her many years of volunteering.

"I am a resource for all of them. I speak to them and get speakers and share information with several hundred people in northeastern Ohio," Sheridan said.

She said she enjoys being active with different groups, often meeting new people and hearing of different projects.

Sheridan said she enjoys being called to show her collections and demonstrate different crafts, She also collects historic clothing and poetry.

To suggest a Saturday profile, contact Metro Editor Marly Reichert at mreichert@tribtoday.com.