Massive Birkner doll collection opens at museum

Guests look at the more than 350 dolls donated to the Wharton County Historical Musem by the Birkner family in the new Museum Doll Room.

A little girl's dream has come true at the Wharton County Historical Museum.

There is a room full of fancydressed dolls which would delight the hearts any little girl. And it opened just in time for the holiday season and makes a trip to the local museum a "must-do" list item.

The museum is the recipient of the Melba Cook Birkner Antique Doll collection, which will be a permanent exhibit, and features more than 350 dolls.

A dedication of the collection was held last Saturday.

Besides the numerous dolls, the Otha Wyatt "Skeet" Birkner donated $25,000 to the museum, which was used to buy cases for the special collection.

Months of preparation included having the dolls appraised, photographed and packed. All this was done by Don and J.K. Birkner, who hosted the dedication.

Although the Birkners were from Matagorda County, Mr. Birkner served in the 58th, 59th and 60th sessions of the Texas House of Representatives for Wharton County from 1963 to 1967.

He then served as commissioner of Matagorda County for two decades, and as appointee of four Texas governors to the Houston-Galveston Area Council on Governments.

Mr. Birkner was also instrumental in crafting legislation in areas of wildlife conservation and special needs programs.

His contributions were so signifi- cant in authorizing funding for the 1968 World's Fair in San Antonio that he was awarded an honorary doctoral degree from the city's St. Mary's University.

Melba Cook Birkner, his wife, was her husband's partner in all political endeavors and maintained contacts with Jacqueline Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, Nellie Connelly and Barbara Jordon.

Her career for many years was as administrative assistant to the principals of Van Vleck elementary and middle schools.

Mrs. Birkner was uniquely gifted as a doll fashion designer, doll creator and doll collector. She crafted this collection over a period of seven decades.

Included in the exhibit are some of her original dolls she received as a child. One is an original J.D. Kestners with original box.

It was a doll which was found in pieces on a trash heap in Galveston after the 1900 storm. She restored it and it was appraised by Antiques Road Show in 2006.

There is also an original Shirley Temple doll among the many other antique dolls.

All of the reproduction dolls' clothing were made by hand using antique fabric and lace by Birkner.

There were representatives from three different doll collectors associations present at the dedication including four members of the Bonnie Belle Doll Club of Bay City, which Melba Birkner organized years ago.

Also present were five members of First Houston Doll Club, president of Doll Collectors of Houston Patti Daniel, who worked with the museum's Janet Hobizal organizing the collection.

Hobizal is in charge of the exhibit and its organization. She is now the consultant on the collection.

Also attending the dedication were over 267 guests including 76 Birkner family members, people came from Oklahoma, Missouri, and from all over Texas.

Former member of Texas House Of Representatives present was Tom Uher from Bay City, one of the speakers at the dedication.

Rev. Dr. Ralph Underwood from Utopia United Methodist Church was also a guest speaker.

After looking at several museums in the area, Wharton County's museum seemed the best to house the collection, said Mr. Birkner.

Last year the Birkners and Marvin Albrecht, director of the museum began working on this endeavor.

"It is such a large collection that it took almost a year to make all the preparations, get the doll room ready and make all the arrangements to have the collection cataloged and brought here," Albrecht said. "There is also a catalog of the collection that will be published in June that the museum will offer."

He says the creation of this doll collection was Melba Cook Birkner's gift to future generations by making this important collection available to the public.