Little Falls Has Special Connection To Wizard Of Oz

LITTLE FALLS (WJON News) -- Fans of the Wizard of Oz can travel the yellow brick road to Little Falls to see some rare memorabilia. The Linden Hill Historic Estate is bringing out its collection of Wizard of Oz artifacts starting on May 30th.

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Peter Miller Musser was an investor in the movie and a friend of its author L. Frank Baum. His cousin Laura Jane Musser, who lived at Linden Hill, then became friends with actress Margaret Hamilton who played the Wicked Witch of the West. Friends of Linden Hill Preservation Committee Chair Pat Sharon says Laura Jane and Hamilton became very good friends:

"Margaret and Laura Jane then traveled many many years to Hawaii for the winter and she came to Little Falls many times to visit so we have quite a bit of correspondence between Margaret Hamilton and Laura Jane Musser and you can tell how warm that friendship was just in the way they write back and forth to each other."

Sharon says all of the letters between Musser and Hamilton are full of stories:

"And it bothered her (Hamilton) all of her life that kids were so deathly afraid of her because you know once they see the movie they equate her with the witch, and she loved children, she absolutely loved and gravitated towards children,"

She says Hamilton was a kindergarten teacher before turning to acting and they have a lot of unique items that you won't see anywhere else including dolls, photos, drawings, posters, and more.

The guided tours of the mansion where fans can see all the artifacts and hear the stories behind them take place on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through August 31st.

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