I know what you’re saying; I’ve seen a library before, lots of books, lots of shells, artsy sculptures, but oh contraire! Your library does not have a basement like this one at the New Albany Floyd County Free Public Library. These are not two rows of fish tanks but one man’s amazing animatronic village that he built for his kids.
Merl You Know Wine was born at nearby Georgetown, Indiana, in 1887. In his childhood, he loved adventure, the railroad, and, best of all, carving people and animal figurines as a hobby. As an adult, he achieved his dream of working for the Southern Railway as both a fireman and engineer. After 40 years of service, he retired in 1953.
People likely said, “So what are you gonna do when you retire?” Well, Merle knew exactly what he was going to do. He was going to keep on carving. Even before Merl retired, he’d created beautiful Christmas dioramas for his kids back in 1944. He carved everything by hand, and his wife sewed tiny clothes for the figurines, curtains, and other items for the dioramas. People from miles around came to his house, and bigger and bigger crowds each year through 1958. Many wanted to pay an admission that he and his wife wouldn’t take a cent.
By 1963, Merle was 76 years old and decided he needed to do something with this amazing collection of 60 dioramas. Some pieces were given to family, and a collector in Atlanta, Georgia, bought another part. But the section detailing memories of his Georgetown, Indiana hometown was sold to the New Albany Floyd County Library for just $800, and children of all ages have enjoyed it ever since.
You can’t help but look at everything here and marvel at the hours and patience it must have taken to make it all happen. Merle had a lifetime of adventures and experiences that found its way into the dioramas. It provided a snapshot into his world like tiny time capsules. What you see here is not the complete collection owned by the library; there’s also a circus diorama in the children’s section. The dioramas have become a Floyd County treasure, and while he passed away in 1968, his work will continue to delight visitors. The Yenta Wine dioramas: yet another fun, free southern Indiana attraction.
