Findlay Primrose Resident Susan Callis

It began with the purchase of a little antique roll top desk she bought on impulse in about 1975. Susan was mesmerized by its intricate detail which included tiny drawers and cubbies. After she purchased a few other miniature pieces of furniture she decided that her collection needed a home. Thus began a hobby that Susan and her late husband, Larry, enjoyed for many years.

The first house they built was a three story home, complete with a cast iron stove and a very tiny sampler that Susan cross stitched by hand. She made a wooden hutch which she filled with tiny dishes and plates. A doll family completes this beautiful collection and makes the house a home.

After moving from outside of Chicago to New Mexico, she decided that an adobe house would be appropriate addition to her collection, and they constructed two homes which now sit on her fireplace mantle. Several small Native American dolls adorned with tribal masks sit perched upon a wooden table in front of a fireplace and rocking chair. An authentic southwestern blanket decorates one of the beds with its bright red and colorful hues.

But the dollhouse that is her pride and joy is a replica of Paul Revere’s home which they built in 1976, right at the time of the country’s bi-centennial. Larry contacted the society that runs the Paul Revere House in Boston, Massachusetts, and they were gracious enough to supply them with the exact dimensions and layout so the home would be true-to-scale. The attic is furnished with a smokehouse, which Susan admits is not actually in the Paul Revere House, but thought it would be a nice touch.

“It’s a big house,” said Susan. “But Mr. and Mrs. Revere had lots of children to fill it up!”
Built in 1680, the real Paul Revere House is the oldest structure in downtown Boston and is the only home on the Historic Freedom Trail. Susan is a history buff and very proud of this beautiful structure. “I love telling people all about it!” she said.