American Girl Meets Fairlawn Mansion

Did you or your kids grow up playing with American Girl Dolls? What started as a small toy company in Wisconsin has exploded into an international sensation. American Girl turns 40 years old this year, and what better way to celebrate than with a photoshoot! Two of the original American Girl Dolls created were Samantha Parkington and Kirsten Larson. Though both dolls have different stories, their histories begin to merge at Fairlawn Mansion. Samantha, born in 1895 in Upstate New York, would have been very close in age to Lois and Myrna Pattison. Samantha was raised by her wealthy ‘Grandmary’ and attended finishing school, learned needlepoint, and was taught proper etiquette as part of her schooling, just like the Pattison children. Kirsten was a Swedish immigrant who moved to Minnesota in 1854, the same year the City of Superior was officially incorporated. Additionally, the Pattison Family hired a Swedish immigrant family named the Bolinders to work in their home. Samantha and Kirsten spent some time with us at Fairlawn and posed for a few photos along the way. To learn more, check out our Facebook and Instagram pages! Special thanks to Sigrid and Cora M. who came in to Fairlawn and shared their American Girl Dolls with us for the photo shoot!