Explorer deeply moved by 120-year-old dollhouse carpenter-dad built for disabled daughter in Indiana

Some centuries-old stories still manage to find relevance in today’s modern and science-driven world. If there are physical objects attached to those stories, they become the most fascinating memorials of the current time simply due to shared themes such as love, loss, and betrayal. In one such story, a 120-year-old dollhouse, made by a loving father for her daughter, Lova, in a cemetery in Indiana, is a testament to the fact that a timeless concept, if executed correctly, will be cherished forever. An Atlanta-based youth mentor and explorer, Joel Carrick, came across this unique tombstone during his regular travels to Indianapolis. He detoured to Indiana and shared the video on his Instagram channel @joelcarrick. This is the story of Lova Cline who was born in 1902, with an unfortunate disease cited as a “crippling neurological condition," which took away her ability to walk and talk.

Her father, George Cline, witnessed the state of her baby girl and one day decided to build a doll house for her. Knowing that she would never play with it, he carried on with the process and built a 5 ft long and 400-pound doll house for her. Astonished, Lova looked at it from her cradle. She was amazed by the dolls and the small furniture. The dollhouse never had an entrance, because it was made for someone disabled. But, it had long and large windows to give Lova an unobstructed view. She died in 1906, and her father fused his creation to her grave. People were moved by his love for Lova. Later, when her mother, Mary Cline, passed away in 1945, George, with the help of his neighbour, moved Lova’s grave beside her mother, and when a year later he passed away, the neighbours buried him with them. And, since then, the doll house has been standing there marking a father's love.

Years later, in 1973, a magazine did a story on this beautiful memorial, praising its unique architecture and traditional furniture, which was later stolen. As much attention as the artefacts grabbed, it also invited looters, according to the Radiotirement. Shortly after, thieves broke into the doll house, took away the furniture and the dolls. However, the locals of the area chimed in and filled the house with new furniture and dolls. Residents also decided to take care of the house, and the town troubadour also made a song about it. That is how Clive’s adversity was turned into something positive and memorable. 

Multiple people have also reported the house being haunted. “People have said they’ve seen it glowing even though there are no lights, and the doll furniture has been moved around as if someone has been playing with it even though there are no doors and no way to access the toys inside,” wrote Carrick in the caption of the video. The 19th century was filled with people dying of many undetermined causes. Deaths due to vitamin deficiencies were also reported. Without proper diagnostic facilities, finding the cure was difficult.

During those periods almost all neurological diseases came under one term — “crippling neurological condition” — and the symptoms were possible damage to the brain that hindrerd any physical movement — as in the case of Lova. According to reports, 300,000 Americans died in 1858 in 170 ways, which were unknown to the physicians at the time. The pressure was so much that being better at diagnosing the disease was more significant than finding a cure. As the technology era ushered in, death numbers went low in the coming centuries. Therefore, the first eight decades of the 20th century showed relatively lower mortality rates from 797 deaths per 100,000 in 1900 to 36 deaths per 100,000 in 1980. With people developing techniques to diagnose illnesses better, faster recovery was reported as modern tech was also being used to find the cure. 

The viral video got people emotional, "I love this so much! I don’t care so much for labeling it 'haunted' because that sounds bad and this seems like a very innocent and sweet child living in a reality she never got to live here on earth. I pray she and her mom and dad are at peace in Heaven," said @jessnesham_."Sad that the original dollhouse was damaged and the toys/dolls were stolen. It is nice to know that the locals rebuilt and are preserving the dollhouse. I'm about to go on YouTube and deep dive into this," shared @lulubundy. Another user, @mindy.phillipsrn, chimed in," This is my hometown. I love that they continue to make sure that her house is kept up, just like her dad would’ve wanted. There is still good in the world."

You can follow Joel — an Atlanta-based youth mentor, explorer, and creator — on Instagram at @joelcarrick for more inspiration content.

If you're struggling to cope with grief, and need help, please reach out to Crisis response at 1-800-203-CARE (2273)