Century-old family doll finds new home at Gouverneur Museum

By Rachel Hunter Oct 5, 2026

 

A century-old doll with deep local roots will be put on display in the Children’s Room at the Gouverneur Museum, offering visitors a glimpse into the community’s past through one family’s carefully preserved heirloom.

 

The doll was originally owned by Mary Downey Whalen of Gouverneur. Over the decades, it was passed down through generations of the Whalen–Storrin family — first to Margaret Whalen Storrin Sterling, also of Gouverneur, and later to her daughter, Jane Storrin of Massena, who has now entrusted it to the museum.

 

According to the family, the doll did not always survive intact. Margaret had told relatives that at one point it was in pieces, though it was professionally restored at an unknown date. The dress and shoes are believed to be original, while the hair may have been replaced during the restoration.

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Mary Storrin Douglass of Gouverneur, Margaret’s daughter, recalls keeping the doll safely out of reach as a child. She remembers that she and her siblings were not allowed to play with it — a sign of its fragility and its importance to the family.

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