Christmas morning magic isn’t just for December. The Merrill Historical Society just unwrapped something special for anyone who’s ever clutched a toy truck or built a LEGO tower—a new exhibit called “Powered by Imagination” that spans a century of play.
Inside the museum at 100 E. Third St., childhood memories wait on shelves and in glass cases. Buddy L trucks from the 1920s sit alongside Nintendo games from the ’90s. Model trains circle miniature communities while vintage cash registers ring up nostalgia.
Pat Burg, volunteer director and treasurer, puts it simply: “We all like toys here so we thought hopefully other people will enjoy the memories of toys as well.”
From Lumber Town to Toy Wonderland
Merrill knows something about transformation. This Lincoln County community started as Jenny Bull Falls back in 1843, grew into a lumber powerhouse, and reinvented itself when the forests thinned.
Now the historical society—preserving local stories since 1978—transforms every other year or so with fresh exhibits. Previous shows explored baseball history, laundry evolution, and even horror filmmaker Bill Rebane’s legacy.
The toy exhibit draws from three sources: the society’s own archives, community donations, and items on loan. Every piece tells a story about play, progress, and the products that shaped American childhoods.
Buddy L Trucks Lead the Collection
The oldest treasures here are the Buddy L trucks and trains. These aren’t delicate tin toys—they’re hefty steel machines built in the 1920s for rough play.
Think about what Merrill looked like then. Sawmills hummed along the Wisconsin River. Early electric streetcars zipped through downtown. Kids playing with these industrial-style trucks were imagining the world their parents built.
“We tried to find things that are iconic or people would remember,” Burg explained during Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The exhibit doesn’t stop in the Roaring Twenties. You’ll find:
- Model train setups resembling the small community of Otis
- LEGO trains running on elaborate track systems
- Video game consoles from the 1990s
- An antique cash register for pretend shopkeeping
- Modern LEGO sets showing how some toys endure
Bridging Generations Through Play
Here’s what makes this exhibit work: a 90-year-old and a toddler can stand before the same display and both feel something.
“It brings people together because if you’re 90 or if you’re two you can both look at the same thing and think that looks cool,” Burg said. That’s rare in our divided world—shared wonder cutting across every generation.
The society regularly welcomes school groups, families, and tourists exploring Northwoods history. Visitors call it a “hidden gem,” which feels right for a museum in a town of under 10,000 people.
Beyond toys, the permanent collection includes logging records from 1891-1945, high school yearbooks dating to 1901, and digitized newspapers reaching back to 1893. The “Pinery” exhibit documents the lumber era that built this region.
Why Toys Matter to History
Some folks might wonder why a historical society bothers with playthings. The answer runs deeper than nostalgia.
Toys reflect their times. Those sturdy Buddy L trucks mirror the industrial boom. Board games from the Depression taught thrift. Space-age toys followed Sputnik. Video games arrived with the digital revolution.
“I think it’s important to have examples of things so people can remember because it’s sort of all about our memories and our stories,” Burg noted.
In rural Wisconsin, where multi-generational families still gather around the same lakes their grandparents fished, preserving childhood memories preserves community identity. These toys aren’t just metal and plastic—they’re touchstones connecting us to who we were.
Planning Your Visit
The Merrill Museum sits in the heart of downtown at 100 E. Third St., about 20 miles north of Wausau along the Wisconsin River. The building itself echoes the town’s lumber-era prosperity.
“Powered by Imagination” joins other current exhibits, including an ongoing baseball display with photo opportunities in replica stands. A “Keeping Up Appearances” exhibit exploring laundry history closes soon.
The society rotates major exhibits every couple years, so this toy collection won’t last forever. They’re also matching donations up to $1,000 through year-end to support future programming.
Whether you grew up in Lincoln County or you’re exploring the Northwoods for the first time, the exhibit offers something modern museums often miss: the simple joy of recognition. That moment when you spot a toy you owned, or your parents owned, or your grandparents saved in an attic somewhere.
It’s Christmas morning again. The wrapping paper’s scattered. The whole day stretches ahead. And anything you can imagine is possible.
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