History and holidays at Dangberg historic park

Home Ranch for the Holidays featuring an antique toy exhibit alongside vintage clothing and other unique artifacts from Nevada’s past, returns to Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park in December.

An open house weekend launches the event 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 2-3. The public may visit at any time during those hours, with volunteer docents on hand to share the history of the family, house, and artifacts. The event includes expanded access into the various rooms of Douglas County’s only historic house museum, built 1857-1917 and lived in through the 1980s.

Members of Friends of Dangberg Home Ranch enter for free, as do youth age 16 and younger. A $5 donation is requested from nonmember adults.

The exhibit will be open Dec. 6-22 as part of guided tours through the ranch house. These tours last approximately 45 minutes and are free for Friends of Dangberg members and youth age 8-16, $10 for nonmember adults. Tour reservations are required and can be made by calling 775-783-9417. Tour group sizes are limited to eight people. Children younger than 8 are welcome at the weekend open house, but not the guided tours.

The exhibit’s displays include toys from the 1870s through the 1890s that were played with by Fred Dangberg and the other children of ranch rounder Heinrich F. Dangberg and his wife, Margaret Ferris Dangberg. Other toys in the exhibit were enjoyed by two more generations of Dangbergs from 1900 through the 1940s. Construction toys, board games, dolls, card games, sporting goods, and other items invite nostalgia for older visitors and historical interest for younger.

A Christmas tree featuring the Dangberg family’s ornaments is on display in the living room, with additional holiday decorations though the house. Displays of vintage Christmas cards from the 1920s show off beautiful designs, and elegant winter coats, fine china, and other items from the Home Ranch’s extensive artifact collection will also help celebrate the season.

The sale in the park’s store will be open throughout the event, with discounts on a selection of jewelry, history books, souvenirs, photo notecards, and other gifts for adults and children.

For more information, visit Dangberg.org.