The Charlie McCarthy doll shown was purchased in the 1930s for Barbara Trosper when she was 9 years old. It is part of the doll collection on display for Christmas in the Botetourt Museum of History & Culture in Fincastle. The collection was donated in 2007 by Barbara Trosper Braithwaite (1930-2021) in memory of her daughter, Bridget (1959-2006). Barbara also donated a booklet with the history of each doll. In it she wrote:
“We stayed in a hotel that had one bathroom per floor, and visited all the historical places. I remember the gold piano in the East Room of the White House. On our last day there…I saw this Charlie McCarthy doll. I wanted it immediately. I loved to listen to Charlie McCarthy and Edgar Bergen on the radio, and here he was live (so to speak)!
“He cost $1.99. That was a lot of money! We had lunch and I thought I wouldn’t get it, but as we walked out, Daddy went back in the drugstore and bought it for me. I was so happy. I played with Charlie till I wore his clothes out, and Mamma made this set for him. Eventually his strings wore out, and that made his jaw fall, so Mamma glued it for me. He was special.”
~ Botetourt County Museum of History & Culture
